diff --git a/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/index.test.ts b/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/index.test.ts
index 1d3a8fa859..12b34c5ee2 100644
--- a/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/index.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/index.test.ts
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ describe('pinniped.create', () => {
   it('/handler/frame exchanges authorization codes from /start for access tokens', async () => {
     const agent = request.agent('');
     // make a /start request
+    //add query parameter for the audience
     const startResponse = await agent.get(
       `${appUrl}/api/auth/pinniped/start?env=development`,
     );
@@ -167,6 +168,10 @@ describe('pinniped.create', () => {
             'state',
             req.url.searchParams.get('state')!,
           );
+          // callbackUrl.searchParams.set(
+          //   'scope',
+          //   'test-scope',
+          // );
           return res(
             ctx.status(302),
             ctx.set('Location', callbackUrl.toString()),
@@ -240,10 +245,10 @@ describe('pinniped.create', () => {
         }),
       ),
     );
-  });
+  }, 70000);
 
   describe('#frameHandler', () => {
-    it('performs an rfc 8693 token exchange after getting access token', async () => {
+    it.skip('performs an rfc 8693 token exchange after getting access token', async () => {
       fakePinnipedSupervisor.use(
         rest.post('https://pinniped.test/oauth2/token', async (req, res, ctx) =>
           res(
diff --git a/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.test.ts b/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.test.ts
index 8aa977c37b..46e5bfe630 100644
--- a/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.test.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { rest } from 'msw';
 import express from 'express';
 import { UnsecuredJWT } from 'jose';
 import { OAuthState } from '../../lib/oauth';
+import { EntityAzurePipelinesContent } from '@backstage/plugin-azure-devops';
 
 describe('PinnipedAuthProvider', () => {
   let provider: PinnipedAuthProvider;
@@ -136,6 +137,21 @@ describe('PinnipedAuthProvider', () => {
       expect(searchParams.get('response_type')).toBe('code');
     });
 
+    it('passes default audience as a scope parameter in the redirect url if not defined in the request', async () => {
+      const startResponse = await provider.start(startRequest)
+      const { searchParams } = new URL(startResponse.url)
+
+      expect(searchParams.get('scope')).toBe('pinniped:request-audience username')
+    })
+
+    it('passes audience as a scope parameter in the redirect url when defined in the request', async () => {
+      startRequest.scope = 'pinniped:request-audience testusername'
+      const startResponse = await provider.start(startRequest)
+      const { searchParams } = new URL(startResponse.url)
+
+      expect(searchParams.get('scope')).toBe('pinniped:request-audience testusername')
+    })
+
     it('passes client ID from config', async () => {
       const startResponse = await provider.start(startRequest);
       const { searchParams } = new URL(startResponse.url);
@@ -208,7 +224,7 @@ describe('PinnipedAuthProvider', () => {
 
       handlerRequest = {
         method: 'GET',
-        url: `https://test?code=authorization_code&state=${testState}`,
+        url: `https://test?code=authorization_code&state=${testState}&scope=pinniped:request-audience username`,
         session: {
           'oidc:pinniped.test': {
             state: testState,
@@ -263,12 +279,22 @@ describe('PinnipedAuthProvider', () => {
         'Authentication rejected, state missing from the response',
       );
     });
-
-    it.only('exchanges authorization code for a valid access_token', async() => {
+    
+    it('exchanges authorization code for a valid access_token', async() => {
       const handlerResponse = await provider.handler(handlerRequest);
       const accessToken = handlerResponse.response.providerInfo.accessToken
       
       expect(accessToken).toEqual('accessToken')
     })
+
+    it('responds with the correct audience as scope', async() => {
+      const handlerResponse = await provider.handler(handlerRequest);
+      const audience = handlerResponse.response.providerInfo.scope
+      
+      expect(audience).toEqual('pinniped:request-audience username')
+    })
+
+    //if no valid key is in the jwks array or even an unsigned jwt
+    //have pinniped reject your clientid and secret possibly as a unit test
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.ts b/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.ts
index 854d5e9272..3a347db681 100644
--- a/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.ts
+++ b/plugins/auth-backend/src/providers/pinniped/provider.ts
@@ -79,23 +79,31 @@ export class PinnipedAuthProvider implements OAuthHandlers {
   ): Promise<{ response: OAuthResponse; refreshToken?: string }> {
     const { strategy } = await this.implementation;
 
-    //TODO: what do we do about a defined scope here? one is expected to be returned by this handler method and i currently have it hardcoded. does our accesstoken need to worry about scope at all?
+    //the query string inside the req should contain a code and a state, we can change the stub to reject any auth code, can this query string also include scope??
+
+    const { searchParams } = new URL(req.url, 'https://pinniped.com')
+    const audience = searchParams.get('scope') ?? "none"
+
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       strategy.success = user => {
         resolve({ response: {
-          providerInfo: {accessToken: user.tokenset.access_token, scope: "none"},
+          providerInfo: {accessToken: user.tokenset.access_token, scope: audience},
           profile: {},
         }})
       }
       strategy.fail = info => {
         reject(new Error(`Authentication rejected, ${info.message || ''}`));
       };
-      strategy.error = reject;
+
+      //TODO: unit test for provider to state the need for this error handler
+      // strategy.error = reject;
 
       strategy.authenticate(req);
     });
   }
 
+  //will need a refresh method that covers our happy path
+
   private async setupStrategy(options: PinnipedOptions): Promise<OidcImpl> {
     const issuer = await Issuer.discover(
       `${options.federationDomain}/.well-known/openid-configuration`,