diff --git a/ebrains_drive/client.py b/ebrains_drive/client.py
index d23feff8e7..fdd02e0216 100644
--- a/ebrains_drive/client.py
+++ b/ebrains_drive/client.py
@@ -71,6 +71,18 @@ def put(self, *args, **kwargs):
     def delete(self, *args, **kwargs):
         return self.send_request("DELETE", *args, **kwargs)
 
+    def _exchange_oidc_for_seafile_token(self):
+        url = self.server.rstrip("/") + "/api2/account/token/"
+        headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {self._token}"}
+
+        resp = self.session.get(url, headers=headers)
+
+        if resp.status_code != 200:
+            raise Exception(f"Failed to exchange OIDC token for Seafile token: {resp.status_code} {resp.text}")
+
+        self._seafile_token = resp.text.strip()
+        return self._seafile_token
+
     def send_request(self, method: str, url: str, *args, **kwargs):
         if not url.startswith("http"):
             # sanity checks.
@@ -82,21 +94,31 @@ def send_request(self, method: str, url: str, *args, **kwargs):
         # We cannot deepcopy the whole thing, because some values (e.g. BufferedReader objects)
         # cannot be pickled
         kwargs = copy(kwargs)
-        headers = deepcopy(kwargs.get("headers", {}))
-        headers.setdefault("Authorization", "Bearer " + self._token)
-        kwargs["headers"] = headers
+        headers = kwargs.pop("headers", {}).copy()
+
+        if self._seafile_token:
+            headers.setdefault("Authorization", "Token " + self._seafile_token)
+        else:
+            headers.setdefault("Authorization", "Bearer " + self._token)
 
         expected = kwargs.pop("expected", 200)
         if not hasattr(expected, "__iter__"):
             expected = (expected,)
-        resp = self.session.request(method, url, *args, **kwargs)
+
+        resp = self.session.request(method, url, headers=headers, *args, **kwargs)
+
+        if resp.status_code == 401 and not self._seafile_token:
+            self._seafile_token = self._exchange_oidc_for_seafile_token()
+
+            headers["Authorization"] = "Token " + self._seafile_token
+            resp = self.session.request(method, url, headers=headers, *args, **kwargs)
+
         if resp.status_code not in expected:
-            msg = "Expected %s, but get %s" % (" or ".join(map(str, expected)), resp.status_code)
+            msg = f"Expected {expected}, but got {resp.status_code}"
             raise ClientHttpError(resp.status_code, msg)
 
         return resp
 
-
 class DriveApiClient(ClientBase):
     """Wraps seafile web api"""
 
@@ -110,6 +132,7 @@ def __init__(self, username=None, password=None, token=None, env=""):
         self.repos = Repos(self)
         self.groups = Groups(self)
         self.file = File(self)
+        self._seafile_token = None
 
     def _set_env(self, env=""):
         super()._set_env(env)