diff --git a/.changeset/slimy-scissors-play.md b/.changeset/slimy-scissors-play.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a65bc8dce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/slimy-scissors-play.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-kubernetes': patch
+---
+
+fixes a bug where an empty authorization header was provided to the proxy endpoint when a cluster had a server-side auth provider
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/api-report.md b/plugins/kubernetes/api-report.md
index 3344e8aa49..3814bcb4a5 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/api-report.md
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ export class KubernetesAuthProviders implements KubernetesAuthProvidersApi {
   ): Promise<KubernetesRequestBody>;
   // (undocumented)
   getCredentials(authProvider: string): Promise<{
-    token: string;
+    token?: string;
   }>;
 }
 
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ export interface KubernetesAuthProvidersApi {
   ): Promise<KubernetesRequestBody>;
   // (undocumented)
   getCredentials(authProvider: string): Promise<{
-    token: string;
+    token?: string;
   }>;
 }
 
@@ -440,9 +440,7 @@ export class ServerSideKubernetesAuthProvider
     requestBody: KubernetesRequestBody,
   ): Promise<KubernetesRequestBody>;
   // (undocumented)
-  getCredentials(): Promise<{
-    token: string;
-  }>;
+  getCredentials(): Promise<{}>;
 }
 
 // Warning: (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "ServicesAccordionsProps" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.test.ts b/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.test.ts
index 2c01f15b18..7d2ef36602 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.test.ts
@@ -395,10 +395,10 @@ describe('KubernetesBackendClient', () => {
             ),
         ),
       );
+      identityApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({ token: 'idToken' });
     });
 
     it('hits the /proxy API', async () => {
-      identityApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({ token: 'idToken' });
       kubernetesAuthProvidersApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({
         token: 'k8-token',
       });
@@ -468,7 +468,6 @@ describe('KubernetesBackendClient', () => {
     });
 
     it('/proxy API throws a 404 error', async () => {
-      identityApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({ token: 'idToken' });
       kubernetesAuthProvidersApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({
         token: 'k8-token',
       });
@@ -490,8 +489,6 @@ describe('KubernetesBackendClient', () => {
     });
 
     it('throws a ERROR_NOT_FOUND if the cluster in the request is not found', async () => {
-      identityApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({ token: 'idToken' });
-
       const request = {
         clusterName: 'cluster-b',
         path: '/api/v1/namespaces',
@@ -501,8 +498,6 @@ describe('KubernetesBackendClient', () => {
     });
 
     it('responds with an 403 error when invalid k8 token is provided', async () => {
-      // when a user is signed in as a guest the result of the getCredentials() method resolves to the {} value.
-      identityApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({});
       kubernetesAuthProvidersApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({
         token: 'wrong-token',
       });
@@ -535,5 +530,34 @@ describe('KubernetesBackendClient', () => {
       const response = await backendClient.proxy(request);
       expect(response.status).toEqual(403);
     });
+
+    it('skips authorization header when auth provider returns no creds', async () => {
+      const nsResponse = {
+        kind: 'Namespace',
+        apiVersion: 'v1',
+        metadata: {
+          name: 'new-ns',
+        },
+      };
+      worker.use(
+        rest.get(
+          'http://localhost:1234/api/kubernetes/proxy/api/v1/namespaces/new-ns',
+          (req, res, ctx) =>
+            res(
+              req.headers.get('Backstage-Kubernetes-Authorization')
+                ? ctx.status(403)
+                : ctx.json(nsResponse),
+            ),
+        ),
+      );
+      kubernetesAuthProvidersApi.getCredentials.mockResolvedValue({});
+
+      const response = await backendClient.proxy({
+        clusterName: 'cluster-a',
+        path: '/api/v1/namespaces/new-ns',
+      });
+
+      await expect(response.json()).resolves.toStrictEqual(nsResponse);
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.ts b/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.ts
index bc510589c8..681daa0ac0 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/src/api/KubernetesBackendClient.ts
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ export class KubernetesBackendClient implements KubernetesApi {
 
   private async getCredentials(
     authProvider: string,
-  ): Promise<{ token: string }> {
+  ): Promise<{ token?: string }> {
     return await this.kubernetesAuthProvidersApi.getCredentials(authProvider);
   }
 
@@ -148,7 +148,9 @@ export class KubernetesBackendClient implements KubernetesApi {
     const headers = {
       ...options.init?.headers,
       [`Backstage-Kubernetes-Cluster`]: options.clusterName,
-      [`Backstage-Kubernetes-Authorization`]: `Bearer ${k8sToken}`,
+      ...(k8sToken && {
+        [`Backstage-Kubernetes-Authorization`]: `Bearer ${k8sToken}`,
+      }),
       ...(identityResponse.token && {
         Authorization: `Bearer ${identityResponse.token}`,
       }),
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/KubernetesAuthProviders.ts b/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/KubernetesAuthProviders.ts
index 1873376487..836641f1ed 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/KubernetesAuthProviders.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/KubernetesAuthProviders.ts
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ export class KubernetesAuthProviders implements KubernetesAuthProvidersApi {
     );
   }
 
-  async getCredentials(authProvider: string): Promise<{ token: string }> {
+  async getCredentials(authProvider: string): Promise<{ token?: string }> {
     const kubernetesAuthProvider: KubernetesAuthProvider | undefined =
       this.kubernetesAuthProviderMap.get(authProvider);
 
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/ServerSideAuthProvider.ts b/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/ServerSideAuthProvider.ts
index 8194f1e213..f71809f6a6 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/ServerSideAuthProvider.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/ServerSideAuthProvider.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export class ServerSideKubernetesAuthProvider
     return requestBody;
   }
 
-  async getCredentials(): Promise<{ token: string }> {
-    return { token: '' };
+  async getCredentials(): Promise<{}> {
+    return {};
   }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/types.ts b/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/types.ts
index 117c966d36..418758dd31 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/src/kubernetes-auth-provider/types.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export interface KubernetesAuthProvider {
   decorateRequestBodyForAuth(
     requestBody: KubernetesRequestBody,
   ): Promise<KubernetesRequestBody>;
-  getCredentials(): Promise<{ token: string }>;
+  getCredentials(): Promise<{ token?: string }>;
 }
 
 export const kubernetesAuthProvidersApiRef =
@@ -34,5 +34,5 @@ export interface KubernetesAuthProvidersApi {
     authProvider: string,
     requestBody: KubernetesRequestBody,
   ): Promise<KubernetesRequestBody>;
-  getCredentials(authProvider: string): Promise<{ token: string }>;
+  getCredentials(authProvider: string): Promise<{ token?: string }>;
 }