googleapis · daniel-sanche · Nov 12, 2025 · Oct 29, 2025 · Oct 30, 2025 · Oct 30, 2025
@@ -279,9 +279,20 @@ class {{ service.client_name }}(metaclass={{ service.client_name }}Meta):
         client_options = cast(client_options_lib.ClientOptions, client_options)
 
         # Create SSL credentials for mutual TLS if needed.
-        if os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE", "false") not in ("true", "false"):
-            raise ValueError("Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE` must be either `true` or `false`")
-        use_client_cert = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE", "false") == "true"
+
+        # Check if google-auth version supports should_use_client_cert for automatic
+        # mTLS enablement
+        if hasattr(mtls,"should_use_client_cert"):
+            use_client_cert = mtls.should_use_client_cert()
+        else:  # pragma: NO COVER
+            # if unsupported, fallback to reading from env var
+            use_client_cert_str = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE", "false").lower()
+            if use_client_cert_str not in ("true", "false"):
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE` must be"
+                    " either `true` or `false`"
+                )
+            use_client_cert = use_client_cert_str == "true"
 
         client_cert_source_func = None
         is_mtls = False

@@ -278,8 +278,9 @@ def test_{{ service.client_name|snake_case }}_client_options(client_class, trans
 
     # Check the case GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE has unsupported value.
     with mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE": "Unsupported"}):
-        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-            client = client_class(transport=transport_name)
+       if not hasattr(google.auth.transport.mtls, "should_use_client_cert"):
+           with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+               client = client_class(transport=transport_name)
 
     # Check the case quota_project_id is provided
     options = client_options.ClientOptions(quota_project_id="octopus")

@@ -183,6 +183,32 @@ class {{ service.client_name }}(metaclass={{ service.client_name }}Meta):
 
     _DEFAULT_UNIVERSE = "googleapis.com"
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _use_client_cert_effective():
+        """Returns whether client certificate should be used for mTLS if the 
+        google-auth version supports should_use_client_cert automatic mTLS enablement.
+
+        Alternatively, read from the GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE env var.
+
+        Returns:
+            bool: whether client certificate should be used for mTLS
+        Raises:
+            ValueError: (If using a version of google-auth without should_use_client_cert and
+	    GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE is set to an unexpected value.)
+        """
+        # check if google-auth version supports should_use_client_cert for automatic mTLS enablement
+        if hasattr(mtls, "should_use_client_cert"):  # pragma: NO COVER
+            return mtls.should_use_client_cert()
+        else: # pragma: NO COVER
+            # if unsupported, fallback to reading from env var
+            use_client_cert_str = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE", "false").lower()
+            if use_client_cert_str not in ("true", "false"):
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE` must be"
+                    " either `true` or `false`"
+                )
+            return use_client_cert_str == "true"
+
     @classmethod
     def from_service_account_info(cls, info: dict, *args, **kwargs):
         """Creates an instance of this client using the provided credentials
@@ -297,16 +323,14 @@ class {{ service.client_name }}(metaclass={{ service.client_name }}Meta):
             DeprecationWarning)
         if client_options is None:
             client_options = client_options_lib.ClientOptions()
-        use_client_cert = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE", "false")
+        use_client_cert = {{ service.client_name }}._use_client_cert_effective()
         use_mtls_endpoint = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_MTLS_ENDPOINT", "auto")
-        if use_client_cert not in ("true", "false"):
-            raise ValueError("Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE` must be either `true` or `false`")
         if use_mtls_endpoint not in ("auto", "never", "always"):
             raise MutualTLSChannelError("Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_MTLS_ENDPOINT` must be `never`, `auto` or `always`")
 
         # Figure out the client cert source to use.
         client_cert_source = None
-        if use_client_cert == "true":
+        if use_client_cert:
             if client_options.client_cert_source:
                 client_cert_source = client_options.client_cert_source
             elif mtls.has_default_client_cert_source():
@@ -336,14 +360,12 @@ class {{ service.client_name }}(metaclass={{ service.client_name }}Meta):
             google.auth.exceptions.MutualTLSChannelError: If GOOGLE_API_USE_MTLS_ENDPOINT
                 is not any of ["auto", "never", "always"].
         """
-        use_client_cert = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE", "false").lower()
+        use_client_cert = {{ service.client_name }}._use_client_cert_effective()
         use_mtls_endpoint = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_USE_MTLS_ENDPOINT", "auto").lower()
         universe_domain_env = os.getenv("GOOGLE_CLOUD_UNIVERSE_DOMAIN")
-        if use_client_cert not in ("true", "false"):
-            raise ValueError("Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE` must be either `true` or `false`")
         if use_mtls_endpoint not in ("auto", "never", "always"):
             raise MutualTLSChannelError("Environment variable `GOOGLE_API_USE_MTLS_ENDPOINT` must be `never`, `auto` or `always`")
-        return use_client_cert == "true", use_mtls_endpoint, universe_domain_env
+        return use_client_cert, use_mtls_endpoint, universe_domain_env
 
     @staticmethod
     def _get_client_cert_source(provided_cert_source, use_cert_flag):