diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/base.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/base.py
index 0c7fa6b..41a7d65 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/base.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/base.py
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 
 class BaseObjectTest(tempest.test.BaseTestCase):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def skip_checks(cls):
         super(BaseObjectTest, cls).skip_checks()
@@ -35,8 +37,9 @@
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         cls.set_network_resources()
         super(BaseObjectTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        operator_role = CONF.object_storage.operator_role
-        cls.os = cls.get_client_manager(roles=[operator_role])
+        # credentials may be overwritten by children classes
+        if hasattr(cls, 'os_roles_operator'):
+            cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
 
     @classmethod
     def setup_clients(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas.py
index 04bfee4..bbdf367 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas.py
@@ -23,12 +23,14 @@
 
 class AccountQuotasTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['reseller', CONF.object_storage.reseller_admin_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(AccountQuotasTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        reseller_admin_role = CONF.object_storage.reseller_admin_role
-        cls.os_reselleradmin = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[reseller_admin_role])
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_reselleradmin = cls.os_roles_reseller
 
     @classmethod
     def resource_setup(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas_negative.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas_negative.py
index a11b407..e945e1e 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas_negative.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_quotas_negative.py
@@ -25,12 +25,14 @@
 
 class AccountQuotasNegativeTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['reseller', CONF.object_storage.reseller_admin_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(AccountQuotasNegativeTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        reseller_admin_role = CONF.object_storage.reseller_admin_role
-        cls.os_reselleradmin = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[reseller_admin_role])
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_reselleradmin = cls.os_roles_reseller
 
     @classmethod
     def resource_setup(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services.py
index c28a3e0..ac41148 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services.py
@@ -29,13 +29,15 @@
 
 class AccountTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['operator_alt', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
     containers = []
 
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(AccountTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        cls.os_operator = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[CONF.object_storage.operator_role], force_new=True)
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_operator = cls.os_roles_operator_alt
 
     @classmethod
     def resource_setup(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services_negative.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services_negative.py
index dfc5dfa..998c2bd 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services_negative.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_account_services_negative.py
@@ -23,11 +23,14 @@
 
 class AccountNegativeTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['operator_alt', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(AccountNegativeTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        cls.os_operator = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[CONF.object_storage.operator_role], force_new=True)
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_operator = cls.os_roles_operator_alt
 
     @test.attr(type=['negative'])
     @test.idempotent_id('070e6aca-6152-4867-868d-1118d68fb38c')
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl.py
index 25dac6b..4df813d 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl.py
@@ -24,11 +24,14 @@
 
 class ObjectTestACLs(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['operator_alt', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(ObjectTestACLs, cls).setup_credentials()
-        cls.os_operator = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[CONF.object_storage.operator_role], force_new=True)
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_operator = cls.os_roles_operator_alt
 
     @classmethod
     def resource_setup(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl_negative.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl_negative.py
index 31c301a..1c42e97 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl_negative.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_acl_negative.py
@@ -24,11 +24,14 @@
 
 class ObjectACLsNegativeTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['operator_alt', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(ObjectACLsNegativeTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        cls.os_operator = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[CONF.object_storage.operator_role], force_new=True)
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_operator = cls.os_roles_operator_alt
 
     @classmethod
     def resource_setup(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_sync.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_sync.py
index 4c0723d..06e700b 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_sync.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_container_sync.py
@@ -37,11 +37,14 @@
 class ContainerSyncTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
     clients = {}
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['operator_alt', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(ContainerSyncTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        cls.os_alt = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[CONF.object_storage.operator_role], force_new=True)
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_alt = cls.os_roles_operator_alt
 
     @classmethod
     def setup_clients(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_object_services.py b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_object_services.py
index b02f178..627895e 100644
--- a/tempest/api/object_storage/test_object_services.py
+++ b/tempest/api/object_storage/test_object_services.py
@@ -989,11 +989,14 @@
 
 class PublicObjectTest(base.BaseObjectTest):
 
+    credentials = [['operator', CONF.object_storage.operator_role],
+                   ['operator_alt', CONF.object_storage.operator_role]]
+
     @classmethod
     def setup_credentials(cls):
         super(PublicObjectTest, cls).setup_credentials()
-        cls.os_alt = cls.get_client_manager(
-            roles=[CONF.object_storage.operator_role], force_new=True)
+        cls.os = cls.os_roles_operator
+        cls.os_alt = cls.os_roles_operator_alt
 
     @classmethod
     def setup_clients(cls):
diff --git a/tempest/test.py b/tempest/test.py
index ab5a353..675071b 100644
--- a/tempest/test.py
+++ b/tempest/test.py
@@ -230,7 +230,9 @@
     _service = None
 
     # NOTE(andreaf) credentials holds a list of the credentials to be allocated
-    # at class setup time. Credential types can be 'primary', 'alt' or 'admin'
+    # at class setup time. Credential types can be 'primary', 'alt', 'admin' or
+    # a list of roles - the first element of the list being a label, and the
+    # rest the actual roles
     credentials = []
     # Resources required to validate a server using ssh
     validation_resources = {}
@@ -344,19 +346,24 @@
             # This may raise an exception in case credentials are not available
             # In that case we want to let the exception through and the test
             # fail accordingly
-            manager = cls.get_client_manager(
-                credential_type=credentials_type)
-            setattr(cls, 'os_%s' % credentials_type, manager)
-            # Setup some common aliases
-            # TODO(andreaf) The aliases below are a temporary hack
-            # to avoid changing too much code in one patch. They should
-            # be removed eventually
-            if credentials_type == 'primary':
-                cls.os = cls.manager = cls.os_primary
-            if credentials_type == 'admin':
-                cls.os_adm = cls.admin_manager = cls.os_admin
-            if credentials_type == 'alt':
-                cls.alt_manager = cls.os_alt
+            if isinstance(credentials_type, six.string_types):
+                manager = cls.get_client_manager(
+                    credential_type=credentials_type)
+                setattr(cls, 'os_%s' % credentials_type, manager)
+                # Setup some common aliases
+                # TODO(andreaf) The aliases below are a temporary hack
+                # to avoid changing too much code in one patch. They should
+                # be removed eventually
+                if credentials_type == 'primary':
+                    cls.os = cls.manager = cls.os_primary
+                if credentials_type == 'admin':
+                    cls.os_adm = cls.admin_manager = cls.os_admin
+                if credentials_type == 'alt':
+                    cls.alt_manager = cls.os_alt
+            elif isinstance(credentials_type, list):
+                manager = cls.get_client_manager(roles=credentials_type[1:],
+                                                 force_new=True)
+                setattr(cls, 'os_roles_%s' % credentials_type[0], manager)
 
     @classmethod
     def setup_clients(cls):