diff --git a/.changeset/mighty-tomatoes-visit.md b/.changeset/mighty-tomatoes-visit.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..beb37d02ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/mighty-tomatoes-visit.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-kubernetes-backend': patch
+---
+
+adds a x-goog-api-client header to existing API requests in this plugin to clearly identify API requests from this GKE plugin. headers are formatted as follows where `libVersion` represents the current dotted version number of the Backstage GKE plugin and `libName` represent the current Google API used at backstage.
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.test.ts b/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.test.ts
index 849a7839e2..e6e19a6aaa 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.test.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,18 @@ import { ANNOTATION_KUBERNETES_AUTH_PROVIDER } from '@backstage/plugin-kubernete
 import '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { ConfigReader, Config } from '@backstage/config';
 import { GkeClusterLocator } from './GkeClusterLocator';
+import * as container from '@google-cloud/container';
 
 const mockedListClusters = jest.fn();
+jest.mock('@google-cloud/container', () => {
+  return {
+    v1: {
+      ClusterManagerClient: jest.fn().mockImplementation(() => {
+        mockedListClusters();
+      }),
+    },
+  };
+});
 
 describe('GkeClusterLocator', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -485,5 +495,18 @@ describe('GkeClusterLocator', () => {
         },
       ]);
     });
+    it('constructs ClusterManagerClient with identifying metadata', async () => {
+      const configs: Config = new ConfigReader({
+        type: 'gke',
+        projectId: 'some-project',
+      });
+
+      GkeClusterLocator.fromConfig(configs);
+
+      expect(container.v1.ClusterManagerClient).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        libName: 'backstage/kubernetes-backend.GkeClusterLocator',
+        libVersion: expect.any(String),
+      });
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.ts b/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.ts
index 03f5bda103..3b3d74e17f 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes-backend/src/cluster-locator/GkeClusterLocator.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import * as container from '@google-cloud/container';
 import { Duration } from 'luxon';
 import { runPeriodically } from '../service/runPeriodically';
 import { ClusterDetails, KubernetesClustersSupplier } from '../types/types';
+import packageinfo from '../../package.json';
 
 interface MatchResourceLabelEntry {
   key: string;
@@ -80,13 +81,17 @@ export class GkeClusterLocator implements KubernetesClustersSupplier {
     return gkeClusterLocator;
   }
 
+  // Added an `x-goog-api-client` header to API requests made by the GKE cluster locator to clearly identify API requests from this plugin.
   static fromConfig(
     config: Config,
     refreshInterval: Duration | undefined = undefined,
   ): GkeClusterLocator {
     return GkeClusterLocator.fromConfigWithClient(
       config,
-      new container.v1.ClusterManagerClient(),
+      new container.v1.ClusterManagerClient({
+        libName: `backstage/kubernetes-backend.GkeClusterLocator`,
+        libVersion: packageinfo.version,
+      }),
       refreshInterval,
     );
   }