diff --git a/hls4ml/converters/__init__.py b/hls4ml/converters/__init__.py
index 89f4fc04b..0d7b6ef80 100644
--- a/hls4ml/converters/__init__.py
+++ b/hls4ml/converters/__init__.py
@@ -165,6 +165,7 @@ def convert_from_keras_model(
     output_data_tb=None,
     backend='Vivado',
     hls_config=None,
+    bit_exact=None,
     **kwargs,
 ):
     """Convert Keras model to hls4ml model based on the provided configuration.
@@ -194,6 +195,10 @@ def convert_from_keras_model(
             'io_parallel' or 'io_stream'. Defaults to 'io_parallel'.
         hls_config (dict, optional): The HLS config.
         kwargs** (dict, optional): Additional parameters that will be used to create the config of the specified backend
+        bit_exact (bool, optional): If True, enable model-wise precision propagation
+        with **only fixed-point data types**. If None, enable if there is at least one
+        FixedPointQuantizer layer in the model (only resulting from converting HGQ1/2
+        models for now). By default, None.
 
     Raises:
         Exception: If precision and reuse factor are not present in 'hls_config'.
@@ -214,6 +219,7 @@ def convert_from_keras_model(
 
     model_config = hls_config.get('Model', None)
     config['HLSConfig']['Model'] = _check_model_config(model_config)
+    config['HLSConfig']['Model']['BitExact'] = bit_exact
 
     _check_hls_config(config, hls_config)
     if 'KerasModel' in config:
@@ -306,6 +312,7 @@ def convert_from_onnx_model(
     output_data_tb=None,
     backend='Vivado',
     hls_config=None,
+    bit_exact=None,
     **kwargs,
 ):
     """Convert Keras model to hls4ml model based on the provided configuration.
@@ -335,6 +342,10 @@ def convert_from_onnx_model(
             'io_parallel' or 'io_stream'. Defaults to 'io_parallel'.
         hls_config (dict, optional): The HLS config.
         kwargs** (dict, optional): Additional parameters that will be used to create the config of the specified backend
+        bit_exact (bool, optional): If True, enable model-wise precision propagation
+        with **only fixed-point data types**. If None, enable if there is at least one
+        FixedPointQuantizer layer in the model (only resulting from converting HGQ1/2
+        models for now). By default, None.
 
     Raises:
         Exception: If precision and reuse factor are not present in 'hls_config'.
diff --git a/hls4ml/converters/keras/qkeras.py b/hls4ml/converters/keras/qkeras.py
index fd670ad0d..7cf6e6b0a 100644
--- a/hls4ml/converters/keras/qkeras.py
+++ b/hls4ml/converters/keras/qkeras.py
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ def get_activation_quantizer(keras_layer, input_names, activation_name='activati
         layer[activation_name] = activation_config['class_name'].replace('quantized_', '')
 
     layer[f'{activation_name}_quantizer'] = activation_config
+    layer['trusted'] = True
 
     return layer
 
diff --git a/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/bit_exact.py b/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/bit_exact.py
index b2de23a39..56bda53ee 100644
--- a/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/bit_exact.py
+++ b/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/bit_exact.py
@@ -133,6 +133,30 @@ def _(layer: Reshape):
 @_request_kif.register
 def _(layer: Activation):
     fn_name = layer.attributes.get('activation')
+
+    if layer.attributes.get('trusted', False):
+        result_t = layer.get_output_variable().type.precision
+        if fn_name in ('linear', 'relu'):
+            output_shape = get_output_shape(layer)
+            k, w, f = result_t.signed, result_t.width, result_t.fractional
+            i = w - k - f
+            k = np.full(output_shape, k, dtype=np.int8)
+            i = np.full(output_shape, i, dtype=np.int8)
+            f = np.full(output_shape, f, dtype=np.int8)
+            if result_t.rounding_mode == RoundingMode.RND:
+                f += 1
+            elif result_t.rounding_mode != RoundingMode.TRN:
+                f = np.full(output_shape, 126, dtype=np.int8)
+            if result_t.saturation_mode != SaturationMode.WRAP:
+                k = np.ones(output_shape, dtype=np.int8)
+                i = np.full(output_shape, 126, dtype=np.int8)
+            if fn_name == 'linear':
+                return ((k, i, f),)
+            else:
+                k = np.ones(output_shape, dtype=np.int8)
+                i = np.full(output_shape, 126, dtype=np.int8)
+                return ((k, i, f),)
+
     if fn_name == 'linear':
         return (requested_kif(layer),)
     if fn_name == 'relu':
@@ -531,6 +555,16 @@ def _(layer: Concatenate):
 @_produce_kif.register
 def _(layer: Activation):
     fn_name = layer.attributes['activation'].lower()
+    if layer.attributes.get('trusted', False):
+        output_shape = get_output_shape(layer)
+        result_t = layer.get_output_variable().type.precision
+        k, w, f = result_t.signed, result_t.width, result_t.fractional
+        i = w - k - f
+        k = np.full(output_shape, k, dtype=np.int8)
+        i = np.full(output_shape, i, dtype=np.int8)
+        f = np.full(output_shape, f, dtype=np.int8)
+        return k, i, f
+
     k, i, f = get_input_kifs(layer)[0]
 
     match fn_name:
@@ -603,6 +637,10 @@ def requested_by_non_saturating_quantizer(layer: Layer) -> bool:
 
 
 def default_register_precision(layer: Layer):
+    if layer.attributes.get('trusted', False):
+        # Trusted layers have their precision already set
+        return
+
     _pk, _pi, _pf = produce_kif(layer)  # Maximum possible k,i,f output from this layer
     _rk, _ri, _rf = requested_kif(layer)  # Maximum possible k,i,f may be utilized by the next layer
     _oi, _of = np.minimum(_pi, _ri), np.minimum(_pf, _rf)
@@ -791,7 +829,11 @@ def has_fixed_quantizer(self, model: 'ModelGraph'):
         return True
 
     def _match(self, model: 'ModelGraph'):
-        return self.has_fixed_quantizer(model)
+        enabled = model.config.config['HLSConfig']['Model'].get('BitExact', None)
+        if enabled is None:
+            # Enable by default if any FixedPointQuantizer is present
+            enabled = self.has_fixed_quantizer(model)
+        return enabled
 
     def transform(self, model: 'ModelGraph'):
         if not self._match(model):
diff --git a/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/hgq_proxy_model.py b/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/hgq_proxy_model.py
index 60889bc53..86639eb83 100644
--- a/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/hgq_proxy_model.py
+++ b/hls4ml/model/optimizer/passes/hgq_proxy_model.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 
 from hls4ml.model.attributes import Attribute, TypeAttribute, WeightAttribute
-from hls4ml.model.layers import Layer, Reshape, register_layer
+from hls4ml.model.layers import Activation, Layer, Reshape, register_layer
 from hls4ml.model.optimizer import OptimizerPass, register_pass
 from hls4ml.model.types import FixedPrecisionType, UnspecifiedPrecisionType
 
@@ -77,11 +77,13 @@ def userconf_ifdef(key: str, layer_name: str, model):
 
 class FuseFixedPointQuantizer(OptimizerPass):
     def match(self, node: Layer):
-        if not isinstance(node, FixedPointQuantizer):
-            return False
-        if any(np.unique(x).size > 1 for x in node.mask_kbi):
-            return False
-        return True
+        if isinstance(node, FixedPointQuantizer):
+            return all(np.unique(x).size == 1 for x in node.mask_kbi)
+
+        if isinstance(node, Activation):
+            return node.get_attr('activation') == 'linear' and node.get_attr('trusted', False)
+
+        return False
 
     def propagate(self, node: Layer, precision: FixedPrecisionType):
         from hls4ml.model.optimizer.passes.bit_exact import get_input_layers, get_output_layers
@@ -113,13 +115,16 @@ def propagate(self, node: Layer, precision: FixedPrecisionType):
     def transform(self, model: 'ModelGraph', node: FixedPointQuantizer):
         from hls4ml.model.optimizer.passes.bit_exact import get_input_layers, get_output_layers
 
-        # Rounding and saturation for FixedPointQuantizer are applied in generated code, thus not reflected in result_t.
-        if node.RND == 'TRN' and node.SAT == 'WRAP':
-            precision: FixedPrecisionType = copy(node.get_output_variable().type.precision)
+        if isinstance(node, FixedPointQuantizer):
+            # Rounding and saturation for FixedPointQuantizer are applied in generated code, thus not reflected in result_t.
+            if node.RND == 'TRN' and node.SAT == 'WRAP':
+                precision: FixedPrecisionType = copy(node.get_output_variable().type.precision)
+            else:
+                k, b, i = node.mask_kbi
+                k, b, i = bool(k.ravel()[0]), max(int(b.ravel()[0]), 1), int(i.ravel()[0])
+                precision = FixedPrecisionType(b, i, k, node.RND, node.SAT)
         else:
-            k, b, i = node.mask_kbi
-            k, b, i = bool(k.ravel()[0]), max(int(b.ravel()[0]), 1), int(i.ravel()[0])
-            precision = FixedPrecisionType(b, i, k, node.RND, node.SAT)
+            precision = copy(node.get_output_variable().type.precision)
 
         inp_layer = get_input_layers(node)[0]
         can_fuse = len(get_output_layers(inp_layer)) == 1
diff --git a/test/pytest/test_qkeras.py b/test/pytest/test_qkeras.py
index 8cff159df..09f5c8760 100644
--- a/test/pytest/test_qkeras.py
+++ b/test/pytest/test_qkeras.py
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
+from keras.layers import BatchNormalization, Input
+from keras.models import Model, Sequential, model_from_json
+from keras.utils import to_categorical
 from qkeras import QGRU, QLSTM, QSimpleRNN
 from qkeras.qconv2d_batchnorm import QConv2DBatchnorm
 from qkeras.qconvolutional import QDepthwiseConv2D, QSeparableConv1D, QSeparableConv2D
@@ -20,9 +23,6 @@
 from sklearn.datasets import fetch_openml
 from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
 from sklearn.preprocessing import LabelEncoder, StandardScaler
-from tensorflow.keras.layers import BatchNormalization, Input
-from tensorflow.keras.models import Model, Sequential, model_from_json
-from tensorflow.keras.utils import to_categorical
 
 import hls4ml
 
@@ -142,33 +142,39 @@ def test_single_dense_activation_exact(randX_100_16, bits, alpha, backend, io_ty
     bit exactness with number of bits parameter
     '''
     X = randX_100_16
-    model = Sequential()
-    model.add(
-        QDense(
-            16,
-            input_shape=(16,),
-            name='fc1',
-            kernel_quantizer=quantized_bits(bits, 0, alpha=alpha),
-            bias_quantizer=quantized_bits(bits, 0, alpha=1),
-            kernel_initializer='lecun_uniform',
-        )
+    model = Sequential(
+        [
+            QActivation(activation=quantized_bits(bits, 0, alpha=1), input_shape=(16,), name='inp_quant'),
+            QDense(
+                16,
+                name='fc1',
+                kernel_quantizer=quantized_bits(bits, 0, alpha=alpha),
+                bias_quantizer=quantized_bits(bits, 0, alpha=1),
+                kernel_initializer='lecun_uniform',
+            ),
+            QActivation(activation=quantized_relu(bits, 0), name='relu1'),
+        ]
     )
-    model.add(QActivation(activation=quantized_relu(bits, 0), name='relu1'))
     model.compile()
 
     config = hls4ml.utils.config_from_keras_model(model, granularity='name', backend=backend)
     output_dir = str(test_root_path / f'hls4mlprj_qkeras_single_dense_activation_exact_{bits}_{alpha}_{backend}_{io_type}')
+
+    bit_exact = alpha == 1
+    # alpha!=po2 case uses non-fixed-point data types, unsupported by the precision propagation flow
     hls_model = hls4ml.converters.convert_from_keras_model(
-        model, hls_config=config, output_dir=output_dir, backend=backend, io_type=io_type
+        model, hls_config=config, output_dir=output_dir, backend=backend, io_type=io_type, bit_exact=bit_exact
     )
     hls_model.compile()
 
     y_qkeras = model.predict(X)
     y_hls4ml = hls_model.predict(X)
-    # Goal is to get it passing with all equal
-    # np.testing.assert_array_equal(y_qkeras, y_hls4ml)
-    # For now allow matching within 1 bit
-    np.testing.assert_allclose(y_qkeras.ravel(), y_hls4ml.ravel(), atol=2**-bits, rtol=1.0)
+
+    # alpha!=1 case for weights can be supported if weight conversion is done before writing
+    if bit_exact:
+        np.testing.assert_array_equal(y_qkeras, y_hls4ml)
+    else:
+        np.testing.assert_allclose(y_qkeras.ravel(), y_hls4ml.ravel(), atol=2**-bits, rtol=1.0)
 
 
 @pytest.fixture