diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md b/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md
index 4f1b84d5be..cbf1877c75 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export type AuthorizeResponse =
     }
   | {
       result: AuthorizeResult.CONDITIONAL;
-      conditions: PermissionCriteria<unknown>;
+      conditions: PermissionCriteria<PermissionCondition>;
     };
 
 // @public
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ export type DiscoveryApi = {
   getBaseUrl(pluginId: string): Promise<string>;
 };
 
+// @public
+export type Identified<T> = T & {
+  id: string;
+};
+
 // @public
 export function isCreatePermission(permission: Permission): boolean;
 
@@ -62,7 +67,7 @@ export type PermissionAttributes = {
 
 // @public
 export class PermissionClient {
-  constructor(options: { discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi });
+  constructor(options: { discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi; enabled?: boolean });
   authorize(
     requests: AuthorizeRequest[],
     options?: AuthorizeRequestOptions,
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/config.d.ts b/plugins/permission-common/config.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2378fa4a71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/config.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 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.
+ */
+
+export interface Config {
+  /** Configuration options for Backstage permissions and authorization */
+  permission?: {
+    /**
+     * Whether authorization is enabled in Backstage. Defaults to false, which means authorization
+     * requests will be automatically allowed without invoking the authorization policy.
+     * @visibility frontend
+     */
+    enabled?: boolean;
+  };
+}
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/package.json b/plugins/permission-common/package.json
index f6d66934e2..d2ebf85b36 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/package.json
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/package.json
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@
   ],
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "files": [
-    "dist"
+    "dist",
+    "config.d.ts"
   ],
+  "configSchema": "config.d.ts",
   "scripts": {
     "build": "backstage-cli build",
     "lint": "backstage-cli lint",
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts
index a461078e1a..06e2ae0561 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ const discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi = {
     return mockBaseUrl;
   },
 };
-const client: PermissionClient = new PermissionClient({ discoveryApi });
+const client: PermissionClient = new PermissionClient({
+  discoveryApi,
+  enabled: true,
+});
 
 const mockPermission: Permission = {
   name: 'test.permission',
@@ -141,5 +144,24 @@ describe('PermissionClient', () => {
         client.authorize([mockAuthorizeRequest], { token }),
       ).rejects.toThrowError(/invalid input/i);
     });
+
+    it('should allow all when authorization is not enabled', async () => {
+      mockAuthorizeHandler.mockImplementationOnce(
+        (req, res, { json }: RestContext) => {
+          const responses = req.body.map((a: Identified<AuthorizeRequest>) => ({
+            id: a.id,
+            outcome: AuthorizeResult.DENY,
+          }));
+
+          return res(json(responses));
+        },
+      );
+      const disabled = new PermissionClient({ discoveryApi, enabled: false });
+      const response = await disabled.authorize([mockAuthorizeRequest]);
+      expect(response[0]).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({ result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW }),
+      );
+      expect(mockAuthorizeHandler).not.toBeCalled();
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts
index 5c32ecb139..5b17ccd333 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts
@@ -71,10 +71,12 @@ export type AuthorizeRequestOptions = {
  * @public
  */
 export class PermissionClient {
+  private readonly enabled: boolean;
   private readonly discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi;
 
-  constructor(options: { discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi }) {
+  constructor(options: { discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi; enabled?: boolean }) {
     this.discoveryApi = options.discoveryApi;
+    this.enabled = options.enabled ?? false;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -102,6 +104,10 @@ export class PermissionClient {
     // but no resourceRef. That way clients who aren't prepared to handle filtering according
     // to conditions can be guaranteed that they won't unexpectedly get a CONDITIONAL response.
 
+    if (!this.enabled) {
+      return requests.map(_ => ({ result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW }));
+    }
+
     const identifiedRequests: Identified<AuthorizeRequest>[] = requests.map(
       request => ({
         id: uuid.v4(),
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/api.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/api.ts
index 3cdf923978..7f4cd0730b 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/api.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/api.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
 
 import { Permission } from './permission';
 
+/**
+ * A request with a UUID identifier, so that batched responses can be matched up with the original
+ * requests.
+ * @public
+ */
 export type Identified<T> = T & { id: string };
 
 /**
@@ -77,5 +82,5 @@ export type AuthorizeResponse =
   | { result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW | AuthorizeResult.DENY }
   | {
       result: AuthorizeResult.CONDITIONAL;
-      conditions: PermissionCriteria<unknown>;
+      conditions: PermissionCriteria<PermissionCondition>;
     };
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts
index 95b8fc2a83..e21fa19e8b 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export { AuthorizeResult } from './api';
 export type {
   AuthorizeRequest,
   AuthorizeResponse,
+  Identified,
   PermissionCondition,
   PermissionCriteria,
 } from './api';