diff --git a/src/abstractsparse.jl b/src/abstractsparse.jl
index 1db6a340..39d44696 100644
--- a/src/abstractsparse.jl
+++ b/src/abstractsparse.jl
@@ -125,3 +125,54 @@ julia> findnz(A)
 function findnz end
 
 widelength(x::AbstractSparseArray) = prod(Int64.(size(x)))
+
+
+const _restore_scalar_indexing = Expr[]
+const _destroy_scalar_indexing = Expr[]
+"""
+    @RCI f
+
+records the function `f` to be overwritten (and restored) with `allowscalar(::Bool)`. This is an
+experimental feature.
+
+Note that it will evaluate the function in the top level of the package. The original code for `f`
+is stored in `_restore_scalar_indexing` and a function that has the same definition as `f` but 
+returns an error is stored in `_destroy_scalar_indexing`.
+"""
+macro RCI(exp)
+    # evaluate to not push any broken code in the arrays when developping this package. 
+    # also ensures that restore has the exact same effect.
+    @eval $exp
+    if length(exp.args) == 2 && exp.head ∈ (:function, :(=))
+        push!(_restore_scalar_indexing, exp)
+        push!(_destroy_scalar_indexing,
+            Expr(exp.head,
+            exp.args[1],
+            :(error("scalar indexing was turned off"))))
+    else
+        error("can't parse expression")
+    end
+    return
+end
+
+"""
+    allowscalar(::Bool)
+
+An experimental function that allows one to disable and re-enable scalar indexing for sparse matrices and vectors. 
+
+`allowscalar(false)` will disable scalar indexing for sparse matrices and vectors. 
+`allowscalar(true)` will restore the original scalar indexing functionality.
+
+Since this function overwrites existing definitions, it will lead to recompilation. It is useful mainly when testing
+code for devices such as [GPUs](https://cuda.juliagpu.org/stable/usage/workflow/), where the presence of scalar indexing can lead to substantial slowdowns. 
+Disabling scalar indexing during such tests can help identify performance bottlenecks quickly.
+"""
+allowscalar(p::Bool) = if p
+    for i in _restore_scalar_indexing
+        @eval $i
+    end
+else
+    for i in _destroy_scalar_indexing
+        @eval $i
+    end
+end
diff --git a/src/sparsematrix.jl b/src/sparsematrix.jl
index 674a2353..1b2ffb34 100644
--- a/src/sparsematrix.jl
+++ b/src/sparsematrix.jl
@@ -2261,9 +2261,9 @@ function rangesearch(haystack::AbstractRange, needle)
     (rem==0 && 1<=i+1<=length(haystack)) ? i+1 : 0
 end
 
-getindex(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC, I::Tuple{Integer,Integer}) = getindex(A, I[1], I[2])
+@RCI getindex(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC, I::Tuple{Integer,Integer}) = getindex(A, I[1], I[2])
 
-function getindex(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC{T}, i0::Integer, i1::Integer) where T
+@RCI function getindex(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC{T}, i0::Integer, i1::Integer) where T
     @boundscheck checkbounds(A, i0, i1)
     r1 = Int(getcolptr(A)[i1])
     r2 = Int(getcolptr(A)[i1+1]-1)
@@ -2709,7 +2709,7 @@ getindex(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC, I::AbstractVector{Bool}, J::AbstractVector{
 ## setindex!
 
 # dispatch helper for #29034
-setindex!(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC, _v, _i::Integer, _j::Integer) = _setindex_scalar!(A, _v, _i, _j)
+@RCI setindex!(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC, _v, _i::Integer, _j::Integer) = _setindex_scalar!(A, _v, _i, _j)
 
 function _setindex_scalar!(A::AbstractSparseMatrixCSC{Tv,Ti}, _v, _i::Integer, _j::Integer) where {Tv,Ti<:Integer}
     v = convert(Tv, _v)
diff --git a/src/sparsevector.jl b/src/sparsevector.jl
index a81f226f..9354943f 100644
--- a/src/sparsevector.jl
+++ b/src/sparsevector.jl
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ end
 
 ### Element access
 
-function setindex!(x::SparseVector{Tv,Ti}, v::Tv, i::Ti) where {Tv,Ti<:Integer}
+@RCI function setindex!(x::SparseVector{Tv,Ti}, v::Tv, i::Ti) where {Tv,Ti<:Integer}
     checkbounds(x, i)
     nzind = nonzeroinds(x)
     nzval = nonzeros(x)
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ function setindex!(x::SparseVector{Tv,Ti}, v::Tv, i::Ti) where {Tv,Ti<:Integer}
     x
 end
 
-setindex!(x::SparseVector{Tv,Ti}, v, i::Integer) where {Tv,Ti<:Integer} =
+@RCI setindex!(x::SparseVector{Tv,Ti}, v, i::Integer) where {Tv,Ti<:Integer} =
     setindex!(x, convert(Tv, v), convert(Ti, i))
 
 
@@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ function _spgetindex(m::Int, nzind::AbstractVector{Ti}, nzval::AbstractVector{Tv
     (ii <= m && nzind[ii] == i) ? nzval[ii] : zero(Tv)
 end
 
-function getindex(x::AbstractSparseVector, i::Integer)
+@RCI function getindex(x::AbstractSparseVector, i::Integer)
     checkbounds(x, i)
     _spgetindex(nnz(x), nonzeroinds(x), nonzeros(x), i)
 end
diff --git a/test/allowscalar.jl b/test/allowscalar.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa35f35c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/allowscalar.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+using Test, SparseArrays
+
+@testset "allowscalar" begin
+    A = sprandn(10, 20, 0.9)
+    A[1, 1] = 2
+    @test A[1, 1] == 2
+    SparseArrays.allowscalar(false)
+    @test_throws Any A[1, 1]
+    @test_throws Any A[1, 1] = 2
+    SparseArrays.allowscalar(true)
+    @test A[1, 1] == 2
+    A[1, 1] = 3
+    @test A[1, 1] == 3
+
+    B = sprandn(10, 0.9)
+    B[1] = 2
+    @test B[1] == 2
+    SparseArrays.allowscalar(false)
+    @test_throws Any B[1]
+    SparseArrays.allowscalar(true)
+    @test B[1] == 2
+    B[1] = 3
+    @test B[1] == 3
+end
diff --git a/test/testgroups b/test/testgroups
index e8e8b8a0..e61a1591 100644
--- a/test/testgroups
+++ b/test/testgroups
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+allowscalar
 ambiguous
 higherorderfns
 sparsematrix_ops