diff --git a/lib/pbench/client/__init__.py b/lib/pbench/client/__init__.py
index 5a6e9c146a..85c6390179 100644
--- a/lib/pbench/client/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/pbench/client/__init__.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 from pbench.client.oidc_admin import OIDCAdmin
 from pbench.client.types import Dataset, JSONOBJECT
-from pbench.server.auth import OpenIDClientError
 
 
 class PbenchClientError(Exception):
@@ -340,17 +339,13 @@ def login(self, user: str, password: str):
             user:       Account username
             password:   Account password
         """
-        try:
-            response = self.oidc_admin.user_login(
-                client_id=self.endpoints["openid"]["client"],
-                username=user,
-                password=password,
-            )
-        except OpenIDClientError:
-            self.auth_token = None
-        else:
-            self.username = user
-            self.auth_token = response["access_token"]
+        response = self.oidc_admin.user_login(
+            client_id=self.endpoints["openid"]["client"],
+            username=user,
+            password=password,
+        )
+        self.username = user
+        self.auth_token = response["access_token"]
 
     def upload(self, tarball: Path, **kwargs) -> requests.Response:
         """Upload a tarball to the server.
diff --git a/lib/pbench/client/oidc_admin.py b/lib/pbench/client/oidc_admin.py
index a1064ddc15..99d4952185 100644
--- a/lib/pbench/client/oidc_admin.py
+++ b/lib/pbench/client/oidc_admin.py
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ def create_new_user(
         admin_token = self.get_admin_token().get("access_token")
         url_path = f"/admin/realms/{self.OIDC_REALM}/users"
         headers = {
-            "Content-Type": "application/json",
             "Authorization": f"Bearer {admin_token}",
         }
         data = {
@@ -102,7 +101,6 @@ def user_login(self, client_id: str, username: str, password: str) -> dict:
 
         """
         url_path = f"/realms/{self.OIDC_REALM}/protocol/openid-connect/token"
-        headers = {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"}
         data = {
             "client_id": client_id,
             "grant_type": "password",
@@ -110,7 +108,7 @@ def user_login(self, client_id: str, username: str, password: str) -> dict:
             "username": username,
             "password": password,
         }
-        return self.post(path=url_path, data=data, headers=headers).json()
+        return self.post(path=url_path, data=data).json()
 
     def get_user(self, username: str, token: str) -> dict:
         """Get the OIDC user representation dict.
@@ -138,7 +136,6 @@ def get_user(self, username: str, token: str) -> dict:
         response = self.get(
             f"admin/realms/{self.OIDC_REALM}/users",
             headers={
-                "Content-Type": "application/json",
                 "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
             },
             username=username,
diff --git a/lib/pbench/server/auth/__init__.py b/lib/pbench/server/auth/__init__.py
index 8a35bf5d2c..65dfe166b4 100644
--- a/lib/pbench/server/auth/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/pbench/server/auth/__init__.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from http import HTTPStatus
 import logging
-from typing import Dict, Optional, Union
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
 from urllib.parse import urljoin
 
 import jwt
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ class Connection:
     def __init__(
         self,
         server_url: str,
-        headers: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
+        headers: Optional[dict[str, str]] = None,
         verify: bool = True,
     ):
         self.server_url = server_url
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@ def _method(
         self,
         method: str,
         path: str,
-        data: Union[Dict, str, None],
-        json: Optional[Dict] = None,
-        headers: Optional[Dict] = None,
+        data: Optional[Any] = None,
+        json: Optional[dict[str, Any]] = None,
+        headers: Optional[dict[str, str]] = None,
         **kwargs,
     ) -> requests.Response:
         """Common frontend for the HTTP operations on OIDC client connection.
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ def _method(
             method : The API HTTP method
             path : Path for the request.
             data : Data to send with the request in case of the POST
-            json: JSON data to send with the request in case of the POST
+            json : JSON data to send with the request in case of the POST
             kwargs : Additional keyword args
 
         Returns:
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def _method(
         if headers is not None:
             final_headers.update(headers)
         url = urljoin(self.server_url, path)
-        kwargs = dict(
+        request_dict = dict(
             params=kwargs,
             data=data,
             json=json,
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def _method(
             verify=self.verify,
         )
         try:
-            response = self._connection.request(method, url, **kwargs)
+            response = self._connection.request(method, url, **request_dict)
         except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError as exc:
             raise OpenIDClientError(
                 http_status=HTTPStatus.BAD_GATEWAY,
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ def _method(
             return response
 
     def get(
-        self, path: str, headers: Optional[Dict] = None, **kwargs
+        self, path: str, headers: Optional[dict[str, str]] = None, **kwargs
     ) -> requests.Response:
         """GET wrapper to handle an authenticated GET operation on the Resource
         at a given path.
@@ -126,14 +126,14 @@ def get(
         Returns:
             Response from the request.
         """
-        return self._method("GET", path, None, None, headers=headers, **kwargs)
+        return self._method("GET", path, headers=headers, **kwargs)
 
     def post(
         self,
         path: str,
-        data: Union[Dict, str] = None,
-        json: Optional[Dict] = None,
-        headers: Optional[Dict] = None,
+        data: Optional[Any] = None,
+        json: Optional[dict[str, Any]] = None,
+        headers: Optional[dict[str, str]] = None,
         **kwargs,
     ) -> requests.Response:
         """POST wrapper to handle an authenticated POST operation on the
@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ def post(
 
         Args:
             path : Path for the request
-            data : Request body to attach
-            json: JSON request body
+            data : Optional request body to attach
+            json : JSON request body
             headers : Additional headers to add to the request
             kwargs : Additional keyword args to be added as URL parameters
 
diff --git a/lib/pbench/test/functional/server/test_connect.py b/lib/pbench/test/functional/server/test_connect.py
index f58857fe8f..1940023563 100644
--- a/lib/pbench/test/functional/server/test_connect.py
+++ b/lib/pbench/test/functional/server/test_connect.py
@@ -30,4 +30,4 @@ def test_connect(self, server_client: PbenchServerClient):
         # verify all the required openid-connect fields are present
         if "openid" in endpoints:
             expected = {"server", "client", "realm"}
-            assert set(endpoints["openid"]) == expected
+            assert set(endpoints["openid"]) >= expected
diff --git a/lib/pbench/test/unit/client/test_login.py b/lib/pbench/test/unit/client/test_login.py
index 94747439e7..650b52d9a9 100644
--- a/lib/pbench/test/unit/client/test_login.py
+++ b/lib/pbench/test/unit/client/test_login.py
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 from http import HTTPStatus
 
+import pytest
 import responses
 
+from pbench.server.auth import OpenIDClientError
+
 
 class TestLogin:
     def test_login(self, connect):
@@ -38,7 +41,8 @@ def test_bad_login(self, connect):
                 status=HTTPStatus.UNAUTHORIZED,
                 json={"error_description": "Invalid user credentials"},
             )
-            connect.login("user", "password")
+            with pytest.raises(OpenIDClientError):
+                connect.login("user", "password")
             assert len(rsp.calls) == 1
             assert rsp.calls[0].request.url == url
             assert rsp.calls[0].response.status_code == 401
diff --git a/lib/pbench/test/unit/server/auth/test_auth.py b/lib/pbench/test/unit/server/auth/test_auth.py
index b88af85aad..c3343d8da2 100644
--- a/lib/pbench/test/unit/server/auth/test_auth.py
+++ b/lib/pbench/test/unit/server/auth/test_auth.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import configparser
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from http import HTTPStatus
-from typing import Dict, Optional, Tuple, Union
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Tuple, Union
 
 from flask import current_app, Flask
 import jwt
@@ -43,7 +43,12 @@ def fake_method(self, monkeypatch):
         args = {}
 
         def fake_method(
-            the_self, method: str, path: str, data: Dict, json: Dict, **kwargs
+            the_self,
+            method: str,
+            path: str,
+            data: Optional[Any] = None,
+            json: Optional[dict[str, Any]] = None,
+            **kwargs,
         ) -> requests.Response:
             args["method"] = method
             args["path"] = path
@@ -176,7 +181,7 @@ def test_post(self, fake_method, conn):
         """
         args = fake_method
         response = conn.post(
-            "foo/bar", {"one": "two", "three": "four"}, None, five="six"
+            "foo/bar", data={"one": "two", "three": "four"}, five="six"
         )
         assert response is not None
         assert args["method"] == "POST"