diff --git a/mlir/include/mlir/Dialect/PDL/IR/PDLOps.td b/mlir/include/mlir/Dialect/PDL/IR/PDLOps.td
--- a/mlir/include/mlir/Dialect/PDL/IR/PDLOps.td
+++ b/mlir/include/mlir/Dialect/PDL/IR/PDLOps.td
@@ -268,8 +268,7 @@
 // pdl::OperationOp
 //===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
 
-def PDL_OperationOp
-    : PDL_Op<"operation", [AttrSizedOperandSegments, NoSideEffect]> {
+def PDL_OperationOp : PDL_Op<"operation", [AttrSizedOperandSegments]> {
   let summary = "Define an operation within a pattern";
   let description = [{
     `pdl.operation` operations define operation nodes within a pattern. Within
diff --git a/mlir/test/Conversion/PDLToPDLInterp/pdl-to-pdl-interp-rewriter.mlir b/mlir/test/Conversion/PDLToPDLInterp/pdl-to-pdl-interp-rewriter.mlir
--- a/mlir/test/Conversion/PDLToPDLInterp/pdl-to-pdl-interp-rewriter.mlir
+++ b/mlir/test/Conversion/PDLToPDLInterp/pdl-to-pdl-interp-rewriter.mlir
@@ -202,3 +202,21 @@
     }
   }
 }
+
+// -----
+
+// CHECK-LABEL: module @unbound_rewrite_op
+module @unbound_rewrite_op {
+  // CHECK: module @rewriters
+  // CHECK:   func @pdl_generated_rewriter()
+  // CHECK:     %[[UNUSED:.*]] = pdl_interp.create_operation "bar.op"
+  // CHECK:     pdl_interp.finalize
+  pdl.pattern : benefit(1) {
+    %root = pdl.operation "foo.op"
+    pdl.rewrite %root {
+      %unused = pdl.operation "bar.op"
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+// -----
diff --git a/mlir/test/Dialect/PDL/canonicalize.mlir b/mlir/test/Dialect/PDL/canonicalize.mlir
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mlir/test/Dialect/PDL/canonicalize.mlir
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// RUN: mlir-opt -canonicalize %s | FileCheck %s
+
+pdl.pattern @operation_op : benefit(1) {
+  %root = pdl.operation "foo.op"
+  pdl.rewrite %root {
+    // CHECK: pdl.operation "bar.unused"
+    %unused_rewrite = pdl.operation "bar.unused"
+    pdl.erase %root
+  }
+}