diff --git a/gax-java/gax/src/main/java/com/google/api/gax/core/GoogleCredentialsProvider.java b/gax-java/gax/src/main/java/com/google/api/gax/core/GoogleCredentialsProvider.java
index 9ad627876c..aeb0ac4260 100644
--- a/gax-java/gax/src/main/java/com/google/api/gax/core/GoogleCredentialsProvider.java
+++ b/gax-java/gax/src/main/java/com/google/api/gax/core/GoogleCredentialsProvider.java
@@ -118,7 +118,9 @@ public abstract static class Builder {
 
     /**
      * Sets the scopes to apply to the credentials that are acquired from Application Default
-     * Credentials, before the credentials are sent to the service.
+     * Credentials, before the credentials are sent to the service. These scopes only take effect if
+     * the underlying credentials require them. See {@link GoogleCredentials#createScopedRequired()}
+     * for more details on when scopes are necessary.
      */
     public abstract Builder setScopesToApply(List<String> val);