diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.test.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.test.ts
index 64c2bed2a9..16f05ef9d0 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.test.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,9 @@ describe('authServiceFactory', () => {
     const searchAuth = await tester.get('search');
     const catalogAuth = await tester.get('catalog');
 
-    const { token: searchToken } = await searchAuth.issueToken({});
+    const { token: searchToken } = await searchAuth.issueServiceToken({
+      forward: await searchAuth.getOwnCredentials(),
+    });
 
     await expect(searchAuth.authenticate(searchToken)).resolves.toEqual(
       expect.objectContaining({
@@ -79,7 +81,7 @@ describe('authServiceFactory', () => {
     const catalogAuth = await tester.get('catalog');
 
     await expect(
-      catalogAuth.issueToken({
+      catalogAuth.issueServiceToken({
         forward: {
           $$type: '@backstage/BackstageCredentials',
           version: 'v1',
@@ -101,7 +103,7 @@ describe('authServiceFactory', () => {
 
     const catalogAuth = await tester.get('catalog');
 
-    const { token } = await catalogAuth.issueToken({
+    const { token } = await catalogAuth.issueServiceToken({
       forward: {
         $$type: '@backstage/BackstageCredentials',
         version: 'v1',
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.ts
index 5190b90e7e..c2b4236f45 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/auth/authServiceFactory.ts
@@ -43,12 +43,10 @@ export type InternalBackstageCredentials<TPrincipal = unknown> =
 
 export function createCredentialsWithServicePrincipal(
   sub: string,
-  token: string,
 ): InternalBackstageCredentials<BackstageServicePrincipal> {
   return {
     $$type: '@backstage/BackstageCredentials',
     version: 'v1',
-    token,
     principal: {
       type: 'service',
       subject: sub,
@@ -112,6 +110,7 @@ class DefaultAuthService implements AuthService {
   constructor(
     private readonly tokenManager: TokenManager,
     private readonly identity: IdentityService,
+    private readonly pluginId: string,
   ) {}
 
   async authenticate(token: string): Promise<BackstageCredentials> {
@@ -120,10 +119,7 @@ class DefaultAuthService implements AuthService {
     // Legacy service-to-service token
     if (sub === 'backstage-server' && !aud) {
       await this.tokenManager.authenticate(token);
-      return createCredentialsWithServicePrincipal(
-        'external:backstage-plugin',
-        token,
-      );
+      return createCredentialsWithServicePrincipal('external:backstage-plugin');
     }
 
     // User Backstage token
@@ -158,28 +154,31 @@ class DefaultAuthService implements AuthService {
     return true;
   }
 
-  async issueToken(options?: {
-    forward?: BackstageCredentials;
-  }): Promise<{ token: string }> {
-    const internalForward =
-      options?.forward && toInternalBackstageCredentials(options.forward);
+  async getOwnCredentials(): Promise<
+    BackstageCredentials<BackstageServicePrincipal>
+  > {
+    return createCredentialsWithServicePrincipal(`plugin:${this.pluginId}`);
+  }
 
-    if (internalForward) {
-      const { type } = internalForward.principal;
-      if (type === 'user') {
+  async issueServiceToken(options: {
+    forward: BackstageCredentials;
+  }): Promise<{ token: string }> {
+    const internalForward = toInternalBackstageCredentials(options.forward);
+    const { type } = internalForward.principal;
+
+    switch (type) {
+      case 'service':
+        return this.tokenManager.getToken();
+      case 'user':
         if (!internalForward.token) {
           throw new Error('User credentials is unexpectedly missing token');
         }
         return { token: internalForward.token };
-      } else if (type !== 'service') {
+      default:
         throw new AuthenticationError(
           `Refused to issue service token for credential type '${type}'`,
         );
-      }
     }
-
-    const { token } = await this.tokenManager.getToken();
-    return { token };
   }
 }
 
@@ -190,12 +189,13 @@ export const authServiceFactory = createServiceFactory({
     config: coreServices.rootConfig,
     logger: coreServices.rootLogger,
     discovery: coreServices.discovery,
+    plugin: coreServices.pluginMetadata,
   },
   createRootContext({ config, logger }) {
     return ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config, { logger });
   },
-  async factory({ discovery }, tokenManager) {
+  async factory({ discovery, plugin }, tokenManager) {
     const identity = DefaultIdentityClient.create({ discovery });
-    return new DefaultAuthService(tokenManager, identity);
+    return new DefaultAuthService(tokenManager, identity, plugin.getId());
   },
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/httpAuth/httpAuthServiceFactory.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/httpAuth/httpAuthServiceFactory.ts
index 79c74ffa9f..d23c35fb43 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/httpAuth/httpAuthServiceFactory.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/httpAuth/httpAuthServiceFactory.ts
@@ -133,10 +133,10 @@ class DefaultHttpAuthService implements HttpAuthService {
   }
 
   async requestHeaders(options: {
-    forward?: BackstageCredentials;
+    forward: BackstageCredentials;
   }): Promise<Record<string, string>> {
     return {
-      Authorization: `Bearer ${await this.auth.issueToken(options)}`,
+      Authorization: `Bearer ${await this.auth.issueServiceToken(options)}`,
     };
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/api-report.md b/packages/backend-plugin-api/api-report.md
index a3e5930375..23e9172bee 100644
--- a/packages/backend-plugin-api/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/api-report.md
@@ -22,12 +22,14 @@ export interface AuthService {
   // (undocumented)
   authenticate(token: string): Promise<BackstageCredentials>;
   // (undocumented)
+  getOwnCredentials(): Promise<BackstageCredentials<BackstageServicePrincipal>>;
+  // (undocumented)
   isPrincipal<TType extends keyof BackstagePrincipalTypes>(
     credentials: BackstageCredentials,
     type: TType,
   ): credentials is BackstageCredentials<BackstagePrincipalTypes[TType]>;
   // (undocumented)
-  issueToken(options: { forward?: BackstageCredentials }): Promise<{
+  issueServiceToken(options: { forward: BackstageCredentials }): Promise<{
     token: string;
   }>;
 }
@@ -305,8 +307,8 @@ export interface HttpAuthService {
   // (undocumented)
   issueUserCookie(res: Response_2): Promise<void>;
   // (undocumented)
-  requestHeaders(options?: {
-    forward?: BackstageCredentials;
+  requestHeaders(options: {
+    forward: BackstageCredentials;
   }): Promise<Record<string, string>>;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/AuthService.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/AuthService.ts
index 8a946e5c91..8eeb40a5ca 100644
--- a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/AuthService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/AuthService.ts
@@ -71,9 +71,10 @@ export interface AuthService {
     type: TType,
   ): credentials is BackstageCredentials<BackstagePrincipalTypes[TType]>;
 
+  getOwnCredentials(): Promise<BackstageCredentials<BackstageServicePrincipal>>;
+
   // TODO: should the caller provide the target plugin ID?
-  // TODO: how can we make it very difficult to forget to forward credentials
-  issueToken(options: {
-    forward?: BackstageCredentials;
+  issueServiceToken(options: {
+    forward: BackstageCredentials;
   }): Promise<{ token: string }>;
 }
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/HttpAuthService.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/HttpAuthService.ts
index 949ca1af0a..937bb1ee82 100644
--- a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/HttpAuthService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/HttpAuthService.ts
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ export interface HttpAuthService {
     BackstageCredentials<BackstageHttpAccessToPrincipalTypesMapping[TAllowed]>
   >;
 
-  requestHeaders(options?: {
-    forward?: BackstageCredentials;
+  requestHeaders(options: {
+    forward: BackstageCredentials;
   }): Promise<Record<string, string>>;
 
   issueUserCookie(res: Response): Promise<void>;