diff --git a/.changeset/neat-suits-retire.md b/.changeset/neat-suits-retire.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f9c98e0d84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/neat-suits-retire.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-kafka-backend': patch
+---
+
+Add ACL requirements for kafka-backend plugin
diff --git a/plugins/kafka-backend/README.md b/plugins/kafka-backend/README.md
index d18a232fa4..637a5773e0 100644
--- a/plugins/kafka-backend/README.md
+++ b/plugins/kafka-backend/README.md
@@ -49,3 +49,7 @@ kafka:
         username: my-username
         password: my-password
 ```
+
+### ACLs
+
+If you are using ACLs on Kafka, you will need to have the `DESCRIBE` ACL on both consumer groups and topics.