diff --git a/eng/common/pipelines/templates/steps/create-apireview.yml b/eng/common/pipelines/templates/steps/create-apireview.yml
index b65251c1e..e6289f60e 100644
--- a/eng/common/pipelines/templates/steps/create-apireview.yml
+++ b/eng/common/pipelines/templates/steps/create-apireview.yml
@@ -29,11 +29,26 @@ parameters:
   - name: AzureServiceConnection
     type: string
     default: 'APIView prod deployment'
+  - name: TestAuthOnly
+    type: boolean
+    default: true  # TEMPORARY: Set to true for testing Bearer auth, revert to false before merging
 
 steps:
+  # Test authentication mode - just verify Bearer token works
+  - ${{ if eq(parameters.TestAuthOnly, true) }}:
+    - task: AzureCLI@2
+      inputs:
+        azureSubscription: ${{ parameters.AzureServiceConnection }}
+        scriptType: pscore
+        scriptLocation: scriptPath
+        scriptPath: ${{ parameters.SourceRootPath }}/eng/common/scripts/Create-APIReview.ps1
+        arguments: -TestAuth
+      displayName: Test APIView Bearer Token Authentication
+      condition: succeededOrFailed()
+
   # Automatic API review is generated for a package when pipeline runs irrespective of how pipeline gets triggered.
   # Below condition ensures that API review is generated only for manual pipeline runs when flag GenerateApiReviewForManualOnly is set to true.
-  - ${{ if or(ne(parameters.GenerateApiReviewForManualOnly, true), eq(variables['Build.Reason'], 'Manual')) }}:
+  - ${{ if and(ne(parameters.TestAuthOnly, true), or(ne(parameters.GenerateApiReviewForManualOnly, true), eq(variables['Build.Reason'], 'Manual'))) }}:
     # ideally this should be done as initial step of a job in caller template
     # We can remove this step later once it is added in caller
     - template: /eng/common/pipelines/templates/steps/set-default-branch.yml