diff --git a/src/gui/include/gui/gui.h b/src/gui/include/gui/gui.h
index 50cacc1ed55..1848b863ad9 100644
--- a/src/gui/include/gui/gui.h
+++ b/src/gui/include/gui/gui.h
@@ -1023,7 +1023,7 @@ class Gui
 
   void registerHeatMap(HeatMapDataSource* heatmap);
   void unregisterHeatMap(HeatMapDataSource* heatmap);
-  const std::set<HeatMapDataSource*>& getHeatMaps() { return heat_maps_; }
+  const std::set<HeatMapDataSource*>& getHeatMaps();
   HeatMapDataSource* getHeatMap(const std::string& name);
 
   // returns the Gui singleton
@@ -1060,6 +1060,7 @@ class Gui
 
  private:
   Gui();
+  void syncHeatMapChips();
 
   void registerDescriptor(const std::type_info& type,
                           const Descriptor* descriptor);
diff --git a/src/gui/src/gui.cpp b/src/gui/src/gui.cpp
index 89f49e336b2..8fafa360cf3 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/gui.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/src/gui.cpp
@@ -1016,8 +1016,32 @@ void Gui::unregisterHeatMap(HeatMapDataSource* heatmap)
   heat_maps_.erase(heatmap);
 }
 
+void Gui::syncHeatMapChips()
+{
+  if (hasUI() || db_ == nullptr) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Console and headless sessions do not receive MainWindow::setBlock().
+  auto* chip = db_->getChip();
+  for (auto* heat_map : heat_maps_) {
+    if (heat_map->getChip() != chip) {
+      heat_map->setChip(chip);
+      heat_map->destroyMap();
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+const std::set<HeatMapDataSource*>& Gui::getHeatMaps()
+{
+  syncHeatMapChips();
+  return heat_maps_;
+}
+
 HeatMapDataSource* Gui::getHeatMap(const std::string& name)
 {
+  syncHeatMapChips();
+
   HeatMapDataSource* source = nullptr;
 
   for (auto* heat_map : heat_maps_) {
diff --git a/src/gui/test/BUILD b/src/gui/test/BUILD
index d1285f47476..f5438d67ea8 100644
--- a/src/gui/test/BUILD
+++ b/src/gui/test/BUILD
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+load("@rules_cc//cc:cc_test.bzl", "cc_test")
 load("@rules_python//python:defs.bzl", "py_test")
 
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
@@ -11,6 +12,10 @@ ALL_TESTS = [
     "supported",
 ]
 
+# dump_heatmap_headless requires the full Qt GUI implementation.  The default
+# Bazel openroad binary links the stub GUI, so the equivalent Bazel regression is
+# the C++ heatmap_sync_test against //src/gui:gui_qt_headless below.
+
 filegroup(
     name = "test_resources",
     # overly broad glob, could be refined later, but
@@ -54,3 +59,15 @@ doc_check_test(
     ],
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
 )
+
+cc_test(
+    name = "heatmap_sync_test",
+    srcs = ["heatmap_sync_test.cpp"],
+    deps = [
+        "//src/gui:gui_qt_headless",
+        "//src/odb",
+        "//src/utl",
+        "@googletest//:gtest",
+        "@googletest//:gtest_main",
+    ],
+)
diff --git a/src/gui/test/CMakeLists.txt b/src/gui/test/CMakeLists.txt
index f6cfbaa34f1..d3ab3cd635f 100644
--- a/src/gui/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/gui/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,21 @@
+set(GUI_TESTS supported)
+
+if (Qt5_FOUND AND BUILD_GUI)
+  list(APPEND GUI_TESTS dump_heatmap_headless)
+
+  add_executable(gui_heatmap_sync_test heatmap_sync_test.cpp)
+  target_link_libraries(gui_heatmap_sync_test
+    gui
+    odb
+    utl_lib
+    GTest::gtest
+    GTest::gtest_main
+  )
+  gtest_discover_tests(gui_heatmap_sync_test)
+endif()
+
 or_integration_tests(
   "gui"
   TESTS
-    supported
+    ${GUI_TESTS}
 )
-
diff --git a/src/gui/test/dump_heatmap_headless.ok b/src/gui/test/dump_heatmap_headless.ok
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..656dfc57d55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/test/dump_heatmap_headless.ok
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Pass
diff --git a/src/gui/test/dump_heatmap_headless.tcl b/src/gui/test/dump_heatmap_headless.tcl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5b4ed73dcdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/test/dump_heatmap_headless.tcl
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+set script_dir [file dirname [info script]]
+set openroad_test_dir [file normalize [file join $script_dir .. .. .. test]]
+
+source [file join $openroad_test_dir helpers.tcl]
+
+if { ![gui::supported] } {
+  puts "Fail"
+  exit 1
+}
+
+suppress_message ODB 128
+suppress_message ODB 130
+suppress_message ODB 131
+suppress_message ODB 132
+suppress_message ODB 133
+suppress_message ODB 227
+
+read_lef [file join $openroad_test_dir Nangate45 Nangate45.lef]
+read_def [file join $openroad_test_dir gcd_nangate45.def]
+
+set heatmap_file [make_result_file dump_heatmap_headless.csv]
+gui::dump_heatmap Placement $heatmap_file
+
+set heatmap [open $heatmap_file r]
+set contents [read $heatmap]
+close $heatmap
+
+if {
+  [string first "value (%)" $contents] >= 0
+  && [regexp -line {^[0-9.-]+,[0-9.-]+,[0-9.-]+,[0-9.-]+,} $contents]
+} {
+  puts "Pass"
+} else {
+  puts "Fail"
+}
diff --git a/src/gui/test/heatmap_sync_test.cpp b/src/gui/test/heatmap_sync_test.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..48c79af6ea1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/test/heatmap_sync_test.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+// Copyright (c) 2026, The OpenROAD Authors
+
+#include "gtest/gtest.h"
+#include "gui/gui.h"
+#include "gui/heatMap.h"
+#include "odb/db.h"
+#include "utl/Logger.h"
+
+namespace gui {
+namespace {
+
+TEST(GuiHeatMapTest, HeadlessLookupSyncsSourcesToCurrentChip)
+{
+  utl::Logger logger;
+  odb::dbDatabase* db = odb::dbDatabase::create();
+  ASSERT_NE(db, nullptr);
+
+  Gui* gui = Gui::get();
+  gui->init(db, nullptr, &logger);
+
+  HeatMapDataSource* placement = gui->getHeatMap("Placement");
+  ASSERT_NE(placement, nullptr);
+  EXPECT_EQ(nullptr, placement->getChip());
+
+  odb::dbTech* tech = odb::dbTech::create(db, "tech");
+  ASSERT_NE(tech, nullptr);
+  odb::dbChip* chip = odb::dbChip::create(db, tech);
+  ASSERT_NE(chip, nullptr);
+  odb::dbBlock::create(chip, "top");
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(chip, db->getChip());
+  EXPECT_EQ(chip, gui->getHeatMap("Placement")->getChip());
+
+  const auto& heat_maps = gui->getHeatMaps();
+  ASSERT_FALSE(heat_maps.empty());
+  for (auto* heat_map : heat_maps) {
+    EXPECT_EQ(chip, heat_map->getChip());
+  }
+}
+
+}  // namespace
+}  // namespace gui