diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..12386268
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/// Main library error type.
+#[derive(thiserror::Error, Debug)]
+pub enum Error {
+    #[error("invalid shapes in {op}, lhs: {lhs:?}, rhs: {rhs:?}")]
+    BinaryInvalidShape {
+        lhs: Vec<usize>,
+        rhs: Vec<usize>,
+        op: &'static str,
+    },
+
+    #[error("unexpected rank, expected: {expected}, got: {got} ({shape:?})")]
+    UnexpectedNumberOfDims {
+        expected: usize,
+        got: usize,
+        shape: Vec<usize>,
+    },
+}
+
+pub type Result<T> = std::result::Result<T, Error>;
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 518fa071..dfda3430 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 mod device;
 mod dtype;
+mod error;
 mod op;
 mod storage;
 mod tensor;
 
 pub use device::Device;
 pub use dtype::DType;
+pub use error::{Error, Result};
 pub use tensor::Tensor;
diff --git a/src/tensor.rs b/src/tensor.rs
index 551d5998..034a1428 100644
--- a/src/tensor.rs
+++ b/src/tensor.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::{op::Op, storage::Storage, DType, Device};
+use crate::{op::Op, storage::Storage, DType, Device, Error, Result};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 #[allow(dead_code)]
@@ -46,4 +46,56 @@ impl Tensor {
     pub fn elem_count(&self) -> usize {
         self.0.shape.iter().product()
     }
+
+    pub fn shape1(&self) -> Result<usize> {
+        let shape = self.shape();
+        if shape.len() == 1 {
+            Ok(shape[0])
+        } else {
+            Err(Error::UnexpectedNumberOfDims {
+                expected: 1,
+                got: shape.len(),
+                shape: shape.to_vec(),
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn shape2(&self) -> Result<(usize, usize)> {
+        let shape = self.shape();
+        if shape.len() == 2 {
+            Ok((shape[0], shape[1]))
+        } else {
+            Err(Error::UnexpectedNumberOfDims {
+                expected: 2,
+                got: shape.len(),
+                shape: shape.to_vec(),
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn shape3(&self) -> Result<(usize, usize, usize)> {
+        let shape = self.shape();
+        if shape.len() == 3 {
+            Ok((shape[0], shape[1], shape[2]))
+        } else {
+            Err(Error::UnexpectedNumberOfDims {
+                expected: 3,
+                got: shape.len(),
+                shape: shape.to_vec(),
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn shape4(&self) -> Result<(usize, usize, usize, usize)> {
+        let shape = self.shape();
+        if shape.len() == 4 {
+            Ok((shape[0], shape[1], shape[2], shape[4]))
+        } else {
+            Err(Error::UnexpectedNumberOfDims {
+                expected: 4,
+                got: shape.len(),
+                shape: shape.to_vec(),
+            })
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/tensor_tests.rs b/tests/tensor_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f772ab0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tensor_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+use candle::{DType, Device, Result, Tensor};
+
+#[test]
+fn add() -> Result<()> {
+    let tensor = Tensor::zeros(&[5, 2], DType::F32, Device::Cpu);
+    let (dim1, dim2) = tensor.shape2()?;
+    assert_eq!(dim1, 5);
+    assert_eq!(dim2, 2);
+    Ok(())
+}