diff --git a/src/frontend/com_hb.c b/src/frontend/com_hb.c
index a539c3121..f69b8d00f 100644
--- a/src/frontend/com_hb.c
+++ b/src/frontend/com_hb.c
@@ -59,6 +59,16 @@ com_hb(wordlist *wl)
         return;
     }
 
+    /* Honor `.option klu`: a bare `hb` builds the circuit here rather than via
+     * cktdojob (which is where a normal analysis copies task->TSKkluMODE), so pull
+     * the KLU mode from the task before CKTsetup wires the matrix -- else the matrix
+     * defaults to Sparse and the `.option klu` request is silently ignored. */
+#ifdef KLU
+    if (ft_curckt->ci_defTask &&
+        (ckt->CKTmatrix == NULL || SMPmatSize(ckt->CKTmatrix) <= 0))
+        ckt->CKTkluMODE = ft_curckt->ci_defTask->TSKkluMODE;
+#endif
+
     /* make sure the circuit is built (matrix + states allocated) */
     if (ckt->CKTmatrix == NULL || SMPmatSize(ckt->CKTmatrix) <= 0) {
         if ((err = CKTsetup(ckt)) != OK || (err = CKTtemp(ckt)) != OK) {
diff --git a/src/spicelib/analysis/dcpss.c b/src/spicelib/analysis/dcpss.c
index 9dfe7eb6e..73a14e5c0 100644
--- a/src/spicelib/analysis/dcpss.c
+++ b/src/spicelib/analysis/dcpss.c
@@ -1259,7 +1259,21 @@ hb_extract(CKTcircuit *ckt, const double *vsamp, int N, int P, int K,
         return 1;
     bsave = TMALLOC(double, N);
 
-    spSetComplex(ckt->CKTmatrix->SPmatrix);
+    /* Matrix must be in complex mode so CKTacLoad stamps G(el[0]) + jC(el[1]) and
+     * SMPfindElt reads both parts. Under KLU the live matrix is the CSC form, not
+     * SPmatrix, so bind the device pointers to the complex CSC (mirrors
+     * pac_extract_harmonics -- this is what makes HB solver-independent). */
+#ifdef KLU
+    if (ckt->CKTmatrix->CKTkluMODE) {
+        if (!ckt->CKTmatrix->SMPkluMatrix->KLUmatrixIsComplex) {
+            for (i = 0; i < DEVmaxnum; i++)
+                if (DEVices[i] && DEVices[i]->DEVbindCSCComplex && ckt->CKThead[i])
+                    DEVices[i]->DEVbindCSCComplex(ckt->CKThead[i], ckt);
+            ckt->CKTmatrix->SMPkluMatrix->KLUmatrixIsComplex = KLUMatrixComplex;
+        }
+    } else
+#endif
+        spSetComplex(ckt->CKTmatrix->SPmatrix);
 
     /* establish structure at sample 0's bias */
     for (i = 1; i <= N; i++)