diff --git a/src/lib/routes/admin-api/api-token.ts b/src/lib/routes/admin-api/api-token.ts
index a494c2859077..6e7547a751c5 100644
--- a/src/lib/routes/admin-api/api-token.ts
+++ b/src/lib/routes/admin-api/api-token.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ import {
     getStandardResponses,
 } from '../../openapi/util/standard-responses';
 import { ProxyService } from '../../services/proxy-service';
-import { extractUsername } from '../../util';
+import { extractUserId, extractUsername } from '../../util';
 import { OperationDeniedError } from '../../error';
 
 interface TokenParam {
@@ -312,6 +312,7 @@ export class ApiTokenController extends Controller {
             const token = await this.apiTokenService.createApiToken(
                 createToken,
                 extractUsername(req),
+                extractUserId(req),
             );
             this.openApiService.respondWithValidation(
                 201,
diff --git a/src/lib/routes/admin-api/project/api-token.ts b/src/lib/routes/admin-api/project/api-token.ts
index 3a1631794f3d..2eb4b23d4e8f 100644
--- a/src/lib/routes/admin-api/project/api-token.ts
+++ b/src/lib/routes/admin-api/project/api-token.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import {
     ProjectService,
     ProxyService,
 } from '../../../services';
-import { extractUsername } from '../../../util';
+import { extractUserId, extractUsername } from '../../../util';
 import { IAuthRequest } from '../../unleash-types';
 import Controller from '../../controller';
 import { Logger } from '../../../logger';
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ export class ProjectApiTokenController extends Controller {
             const token = await this.apiTokenService.createApiToken(
                 createToken,
                 extractUsername(req),
+                extractUserId(req),
             );
             this.openApiService.respondWithValidation(
                 201,
diff --git a/src/lib/util/extract-user.test.ts b/src/lib/util/extract-user.test.ts
index 85494876e1d5..322f88a25e2c 100644
--- a/src/lib/util/extract-user.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/util/extract-user.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
+import { SYSTEM_USER } from '../../lib/types';
 import { IUser } from '../server-impl';
-import { extractUsernameFromUser } from './extract-user';
+import { extractUserIdFromUser, extractUsernameFromUser } from './extract-user';
 
 describe('extractUsernameFromUser', () => {
     test('Should return the email if it exists', () => {
@@ -19,14 +20,16 @@ describe('extractUsernameFromUser', () => {
         expect(extractUsernameFromUser(user)).toBe(user.username);
     });
 
-    test('Should return "unknown" if neither email nor username exists', () => {
+    test('Should return the system user if neither email nor username exists', () => {
         const user = {} as IUser;
 
-        expect(extractUsernameFromUser(user)).toBe('unknown');
+        expect(extractUsernameFromUser(user)).toBe(SYSTEM_USER.username);
+        expect(extractUserIdFromUser(user)).toBe(SYSTEM_USER.id);
     });
 
-    test('Should return "unknown" if user is null', () => {
+    test('Should return the system user if user is null', () => {
         const user = null as unknown as IUser;
-        expect(extractUsernameFromUser(user)).toBe('unknown');
+        expect(extractUsernameFromUser(user)).toBe(SYSTEM_USER.username);
+        expect(extractUserIdFromUser(user)).toBe(SYSTEM_USER.id);
     });
 });
diff --git a/src/lib/util/extract-user.ts b/src/lib/util/extract-user.ts
index d58e8d8946c4..2f12be9dabf4 100644
--- a/src/lib/util/extract-user.ts
+++ b/src/lib/util/extract-user.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,19 @@
+import { SYSTEM_USER } from '../../lib/types';
 import { IAuthRequest, IUser } from '../server-impl';
 
 export function extractUsernameFromUser(user: IUser): string {
-    return user?.email || user?.username || 'unknown';
+    return user?.email || user?.username || SYSTEM_USER.username;
 }
 
 export function extractUsername(req: IAuthRequest): string {
     return extractUsernameFromUser(req.user);
 }
 
-export const extractUserId = (req: IAuthRequest) => req.user.id;
+export const extractUserIdFromUser = (user: IUser) =>
+    user?.id || SYSTEM_USER.id;
+
+export const extractUserId = (req: IAuthRequest) =>
+    extractUserIdFromUser(req.user);
 
 export const extractUserInfo = (req: IAuthRequest) => ({
     id: extractUserId(req),