diff --git a/backend/internal/auth/auth.go b/backend/internal/auth/auth.go
index 20d227a..87ca1f8 100644
--- a/backend/internal/auth/auth.go
+++ b/backend/internal/auth/auth.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/subtle"
 	"encoding/base64"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -227,6 +228,36 @@ func (a *Service) GetUserInfo(ctx context.Context, token *oauth2.Token) (*UserIn
 	return userInfo, nil
 }
 
+// ExtractRolesFromAccessToken parses the access token JWT payload and extracts
+// roles using the configured role_attribute_path. Keycloak emits resource_access
+// claims only in the access token by default, so this is required to support
+// the common Keycloak client-role setup without extra mapper configuration.
+//
+// The access token was obtained via a verified code exchange with the provider,
+// so parsing its claims without re-verifying the signature is safe here.
+func (a *Service) ExtractRolesFromAccessToken(accessToken string) []string {
+	if accessToken == "" || a.authConfig.OIDC.RoleAttributePath == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	parts := strings.Split(accessToken, ".")
+	if len(parts) < 2 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	payload, err := base64.RawURLEncoding.DecodeString(parts[1])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	var claims map[string]interface{}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(payload, &claims); err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return extractRoles(claims, a.authConfig.OIDC.RoleAttributePath)
+}
+
 // IsAdmin checks if the user has admin role
 func (a *Service) IsAdmin(userInfo *UserInfo) bool {
 	if a.authConfig.OIDC.AdminRole == "" {
diff --git a/backend/internal/auth/auth_test.go b/backend/internal/auth/auth_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..272da95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/auth/auth_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package auth
+
+import (
+	"encoding/base64"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+
+	"Noooste/garage-ui/internal/config"
+)
+
+func TestExtractRolesFromAccessToken_Keycloak(t *testing.T) {
+	payload := map[string]interface{}{
+		"resource_access": map[string]interface{}{
+			"GarageAdminUi": map[string]interface{}{
+				"roles": []interface{}{"admin"},
+			},
+			"account": map[string]interface{}{
+				"roles": []interface{}{"view-profile"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	raw, err := json.Marshal(payload)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	token := "header." + base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(raw) + ".sig"
+
+	svc := &Service{
+		authConfig: &config.AuthConfig{
+			OIDC: config.OIDCConfig{
+				RoleAttributePath: "resource_access.GarageAdminUi.roles",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	roles := svc.ExtractRolesFromAccessToken(token)
+	if len(roles) != 1 || roles[0] != "admin" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected [admin], got %v", roles)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractRolesFromAccessToken_NoRoleClaim(t *testing.T) {
+	payload := map[string]interface{}{"sub": "user"}
+	raw, _ := json.Marshal(payload)
+	token := "header." + base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(raw) + ".sig"
+
+	svc := &Service{
+		authConfig: &config.AuthConfig{
+			OIDC: config.OIDCConfig{RoleAttributePath: "resource_access.GarageAdminUi.roles"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	if roles := svc.ExtractRolesFromAccessToken(token); roles != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil, got %v", roles)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractRolesFromAccessToken_Malformed(t *testing.T) {
+	svc := &Service{
+		authConfig: &config.AuthConfig{
+			OIDC: config.OIDCConfig{RoleAttributePath: "resource_access.GarageAdminUi.roles"},
+		},
+	}
+	if roles := svc.ExtractRolesFromAccessToken("not-a-jwt"); roles != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil for malformed token, got %v", roles)
+	}
+	if roles := svc.ExtractRolesFromAccessToken(""); roles != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil for empty token, got %v", roles)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/routes/routes.go b/backend/internal/routes/routes.go
index 513ddd1..59358f2 100644
--- a/backend/internal/routes/routes.go
+++ b/backend/internal/routes/routes.go
@@ -243,26 +243,31 @@ func SetupRoutes(
 				}
 
 				// Enforce admin role if configured. Roles are often absent from the
-				// ID token (e.g. Keycloak only emits resource_access in access tokens
-				// unless the client scope is explicitly configured), so fall back to
-				// the userinfo endpoint before denying access.
+				// ID token and the userinfo endpoint (Keycloak emits resource_access
+				// only in the access token by default), so fall back to the access
+				// token and then the userinfo endpoint before denying access.
 				if cfg.Auth.OIDC.AdminRole != "" {
+					if !authService.IsAdmin(userInfo) {
+						if roles := authService.ExtractRolesFromAccessToken(token.AccessToken); len(roles) > 0 {
+							userInfo.Roles = roles
+						}
+					}
 					if !authService.IsAdmin(userInfo) {
 						if uiFromUserinfo, uiErr := authService.GetUserInfo(ctx, token); uiErr == nil {
 							if len(uiFromUserinfo.Roles) > 0 {
 								userInfo.Roles = uiFromUserinfo.Roles
 							}
 						}
-						if !authService.IsAdmin(userInfo) {
-							logger.Warn().
-								Str("username", userInfo.Username).
-								Str("required_role", cfg.Auth.OIDC.AdminRole).
-								Strs("roles", userInfo.Roles).
-								Msg("OIDC login denied: user does not have required admin role")
-							return c.Status(fiber.StatusForbidden).JSON(fiber.Map{
-								"error": "User does not have the required admin role",
-							})
-						}
+					}
+					if !authService.IsAdmin(userInfo) {
+						logger.Warn().
+							Str("username", userInfo.Username).
+							Str("required_role", cfg.Auth.OIDC.AdminRole).
+							Strs("roles", userInfo.Roles).
+							Msg("OIDC login denied: user does not have required admin role")
+						return c.Status(fiber.StatusForbidden).JSON(fiber.Map{
+							"error": "User does not have the required admin role",
+						})
 					}
 				}