diff --git a/‎docs/api-usage-advanced.rst‎
Lines changed: 4 additions & 4 deletions b/‎docs/api-usage-advanced.rst‎
Lines changed: 4 additions & 4 deletions
diff --git a/‎tests/unit/test_gitlab_auth.py‎
Lines changed: 34 additions & 0 deletions b/‎tests/unit/test_gitlab_auth.py‎
Lines changed: 34 additions & 0 deletions
@@ -44,11 +44,11 @@ properly closed when you exit a ``with`` block:
 netrc authentication
 --------------------
 
-python-gitlab reads credentials from ``.netrc`` files via the ``requests`` backend by default,
-which may override authentication headers you set on your client.
+python-gitlab reads credentials from ``.netrc`` files via the ``requests`` backend
+only if you do not provide any other type of authentication yourself.
 
-For more granular control, you can disable this `Using a custom session`_
-and explicitly setting ``trust_env=False`` as described in the ``requests`` documentation.
+If you'd like to disable reading netrc files altogether, you can follow `Using a custom session`_
+and explicitly set ``trust_env=False`` as described in the ``requests`` documentation.
 
 .. code-block:: python
 
 
@@ -1,12 +1,22 @@
+import pathlib
+
 import pytest
 import requests
+import responses
 from requests import PreparedRequest
 
 from gitlab import Gitlab
 from gitlab._backends import JobTokenAuth, OAuthTokenAuth, PrivateTokenAuth
 from gitlab.config import GitlabConfigParser
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def netrc(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: pathlib.Path):
+    netrc_file = tmp_path / ".netrc"
+    netrc_file.write_text("machine localhost login test password test")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("NETRC", str(netrc_file))
+
+
 def test_invalid_auth_args():
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         Gitlab(
@@ -101,6 +111,30 @@ def test_http_auth():
     assert "JOB-TOKEN" not in p.headers
 
 
+@responses.activate
+def test_with_no_auth_uses_netrc_file(netrc):
+    responses.get(
+        url="http://localhost/api/v4/test",
+        match=[
+            responses.matchers.header_matcher({"Authorization": "Basic dGVzdDp0ZXN0"})
+        ],
+    )
+
+    gl = Gitlab("http://localhost")
+    gl.http_get("/test")
+
+
+@responses.activate
+def test_with_auth_ignores_netrc_file(netrc):
+    responses.get(
+        url="http://localhost/api/v4/test",
+        match=[responses.matchers.header_matcher({"Authorization": "Bearer test"})],
+    )
+
+    gl = Gitlab("http://localhost", oauth_token="test")
+    gl.http_get("/test")
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "options,config,expected_private_token,expected_oauth_token,expected_job_token",
     [