diff --git a/.changeset/nice-dancers-explain.md b/.changeset/nice-dancers-explain.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5e54a66c05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/nice-dancers-explain.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-auth-backend-module-github-provider': patch
+---
+
+Fixed a bug where the GitHub authenticator did not properly persist granted OAuth scopes.
diff --git a/plugins/auth-backend-module-github-provider/src/authenticator.ts b/plugins/auth-backend-module-github-provider/src/authenticator.ts
index f59ac3d727..4a9710d114 100644
--- a/plugins/auth-backend-module-github-provider/src/authenticator.ts
+++ b/plugins/auth-backend-module-github-provider/src/authenticator.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ const ACCESS_TOKEN_PREFIX = 'access-token.';
 export const githubAuthenticator = createOAuthAuthenticator({
   defaultProfileTransform:
     PassportOAuthAuthenticatorHelper.defaultProfileTransform,
+  shouldPersistScopes: true,
   initialize({ callbackUrl, config }) {
     const clientId = config.getString('clientId');
     const clientSecret = config.getString('clientSecret');