diff --git a/.changeset/chatty-cars-kick.md b/.changeset/chatty-cars-kick.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e6f0bbe965
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/chatty-cars-kick.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-node': patch
+---
+
+Adds experimental catalogServiceRef for optaining a `catalogClient` in the new backend system
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/api-report.md b/plugins/catalog-node/api-report.md
index 26617910b9..7d12c2e065 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/api-report.md
@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@
 ```ts
 /// <reference types="node" />
 
+import { CatalogApi } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
 import { CompoundEntityRef } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { ExtensionPoint } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
+import { ServiceRef } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 
 // @alpha (undocumented)
 export interface CatalogProcessingExtensionPoint {
@@ -106,6 +108,9 @@ export type CatalogProcessorResult =
   | CatalogProcessorErrorResult
   | CatalogProcessorRefreshKeysResult;
 
+// @alpha
+export const catalogServiceRef: ServiceRef<CatalogApi>;
+
 // @public
 export type DeferredEntity = {
   entity: Entity;
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/package.json b/plugins/catalog-node/package.json
index 10d1d9d2dd..0024899628 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/package.json
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/package.json
@@ -26,16 +26,18 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": "^0.1.2-next.0",
+    "@backstage/catalog-client": "^1.0.5-next.0",
     "@backstage/catalog-model": "^1.1.0",
     "@backstage/errors": "1.1.0",
     "@backstage/types": "^1.0.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.15.1-next.1",
-    "@backstage/cli": "^0.19.0-next.1"
+    "@backstage/cli": "^0.19.0-next.1",
+    "@backstage/backend-test-utils": "^0.1.28-next.1"
   },
   "files": [
     "dist",
     "alpha"
   ]
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/catalogService.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/catalogService.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3f11e8a9f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/catalogService.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2022 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { PluginEndpointDiscovery } from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import {
+  createBackendModule,
+  createServiceFactory,
+  createServiceRef,
+} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { startTestBackend } from '@backstage/backend-test-utils';
+import { CatalogClient } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
+import { catalogServiceRef } from './catalogService';
+
+describe('catalogServiceRef', () => {
+  it('should return a catalogClient', async () => {
+    const mockDiscoveryFactory = createServiceFactory({
+      service: createServiceRef<PluginEndpointDiscovery>({
+        id: 'core.discovery',
+      }),
+      deps: {},
+      factory: async ({}) => {
+        return async () => jest.fn() as unknown as PluginEndpointDiscovery;
+      },
+    });
+
+    const testModule = createBackendModule({
+      moduleId: 'test.module',
+      pluginId: 'test',
+      register(env) {
+        env.registerInit({
+          deps: {
+            catalog: catalogServiceRef,
+          },
+          async init({ catalog }) {
+            expect(catalog).toBeInstanceOf(CatalogClient);
+          },
+        });
+      },
+    });
+
+    await startTestBackend({
+      services: [mockDiscoveryFactory],
+      features: [testModule({})],
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/catalogService.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/catalogService.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ddfff75462
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/catalogService.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2022 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import {
+  createServiceFactory,
+  createServiceRef,
+  discoveryServiceRef,
+} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { CatalogApi, CatalogClient } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
+
+/**
+ * The catalogService provides the catalog API.
+ * @alpha
+ */
+export const catalogServiceRef = createServiceRef<CatalogApi>({
+  id: 'catalog-client',
+  defaultFactory: async service =>
+    createServiceFactory({
+      service,
+      deps: {
+        discoveryFactory: discoveryServiceRef,
+      },
+      factory: async ({ discoveryFactory }) => {
+        const discoveryApi = await discoveryFactory('root');
+        const catalogClient = new CatalogClient({ discoveryApi });
+        return async _pluginId => {
+          return catalogClient;
+        };
+      },
+    }),
+});
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/index.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/index.ts
index 02ae325a9a..6393c55f31 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/src/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/index.ts
@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@
 
 export type { CatalogProcessingExtensionPoint } from './extensions';
 export { catalogProcessingExtensionPoint } from './extensions';
+export { catalogServiceRef } from './catalogService';
 export * from './api';
 export * from './processing';