diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index b64d71b9441..36863015dfd 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ env.Library( "mongotestfiles" , commonFiles + coreDbFiles + serverOnlyFiles )
 # examples
 clientEnv.Program( "firstExample" , [ "client/examples/first.cpp" ] )
 clientEnv.Program( "secondExample" , [ "client/examples/second.cpp" ] )
+clientEnv.Program( "authTest" , [ "client/examples/authTest.cpp" ] )
 
 # testing
 test = testEnv.Program( "test" , Glob( "dbtests/*.cpp" ) )
diff --git a/client/examples/authTest.cpp b/client/examples/authTest.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fead5cb1305
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/examples/authTest.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+// authTest.cpp
+
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include "mongo/client/dbclient.h"
+
+using namespace mongo;
+
+int main() {
+
+    DBClientConnection conn;
+    string errmsg;
+    if ( ! conn.connect( "127.0.0.1" , errmsg ) ) {
+        cout << "couldn't connect : " << errmsg << endl;
+        throw -11;
+    }
+
+    { // clean up old data from any previous tests
+        conn.remove( "test.system.users" , emptyObj );
+    }
+
+    conn.insert( "test.system.users" , BUILDOBJ( "user" << "eliot" << "pwd" << "bar" ) );
+    
+    errmsg.clear();
+    bool ok = conn.auth( "test" , "eliot" , "bar" , errmsg );
+    if ( ! ok )
+        cout << errmsg << endl;
+    assert( ok );
+
+    assert( ! conn.auth( "test" , "eliot" , "bars" , errmsg ) );
+}