diff --git a/pkg/kadm/acls.go b/pkg/kadm/acls.go
index 62676b5b..79008684 100644
--- a/pkg/kadm/acls.go
+++ b/pkg/kadm/acls.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package kadm
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"math"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
@@ -1115,3 +1116,55 @@ func createDelDescACL(b *ACLBuilder) ([]kmsg.DeleteACLsRequestFilter, []*kmsg.De
 	}
 	return deletions, describes, nil
 }
+
+// DecodeACLOperations decodes an int32 bitfield into a slice of
+// kmsg.ACLOperation values.
+//
+// This function is used to interpret the `AuthorizedOperations` field returned
+// by the Kafka APIs, which specifies the operations a client is allowed to
+// perform on a cluster, topic, or consumer group. It is utilized in multiple
+// Kafka API responses, including Metadata, DescribeCluster, and
+// DescribeGroupsResponseGroup.
+//
+// Caveats with Metadata API
+//  1. To include authorized operations in the Metadata response, the client must explicitly
+//     opt in by setting `IncludeClusterAuthorizedOperations` and/or `IncludeTopicAuthorizedOperations`.
+//     These options were introduced in Kafka 2.3.0 as part of KIP-430.
+//  2. In Kafka 2.8.0 (Metadata v11), the `AuthorizedOperations` for the cluster was removed from the
+//     Metadata response. Instead, clients should use the DescribeCluster API to retrieve cluster-level
+//     permissions.
+//
+// Function Behavior
+//   - If the bitfield equals `math.MinInt32` (-2147483648), it indicates that "AUTHORIZED_OPERATIONS_OMITTED"
+//     is set, and the function returns an empty slice.
+//   - For non-omitted values, the function iterates through all 32 bits of the bitfield. Each bit that
+//     is set (`1`) corresponds to an ACL operation, which is then mapped to its respective `kmsg.ACLOperation` value.
+//   - Undefined or unknown bits (e.g., bit 0 for `kmsg.ACLOperationUnknown`) are ignored.
+//
+// Supported Use Cases
+// - Cluster Operations: Retrieved via the DescribeCluster API or older Metadata API versions (v8–v10).
+// - Topic Operations: Retrieved via the Metadata API when `IncludeTopicAuthorizedOperations` is set.
+// - Group Operations: Retrieved in the DescribeGroups API response.
+func DecodeACLOperations(bitfield int32) []kmsg.ACLOperation {
+	var operations []kmsg.ACLOperation
+
+	// MinInt32 represents "AUTHORIZED_OPERATIONS_OMITTED"
+	if bitfield == math.MinInt32 {
+		return operations
+	}
+
+	// Helper function to determine if an operation is valid.
+	isValidOperation := func(op kmsg.ACLOperation) bool {
+		return op >= kmsg.ACLOperationRead && op <= kmsg.ACLOperationDescribeTokens
+	}
+
+	for i := 0; i < 32; i++ {
+		if bitfield&(1<<i) != 0 {
+			operation := kmsg.ACLOperation(i)
+			if isValidOperation(operation) {
+				operations = append(operations, operation)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return operations
+}
diff --git a/pkg/kadm/acls_test.go b/pkg/kadm/acls_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4dd8082f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kadm/acls_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+package kadm
+
+import (
+	"math"
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/twmb/franz-go/pkg/kmsg"
+)
+
+func TestDecodeACLOperations(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		bitfield int32
+		expected []kmsg.ACLOperation
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "Example 264",
+			bitfield: 264,
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{
+				kmsg.ACLOperationRead,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribe,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Example 3400",
+			bitfield: 3400,
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{
+				kmsg.ACLOperationRead,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribe,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlterConfigs,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribeConfigs,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDelete,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Example 3968",
+			bitfield: 3968,
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlter,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlterConfigs,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationClusterAction,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribe,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribeConfigs,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Example 4000",
+			bitfield: 4000,
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlter,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlterConfigs,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationClusterAction,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationCreate,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribe,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribeConfigs,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "All Operations",
+			bitfield: math.MaxInt32, // All bits set
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{
+				kmsg.ACLOperationRead,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationWrite,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationCreate,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDelete,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlter,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribe,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationClusterAction,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribeConfigs,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationAlterConfigs,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationIdempotentWrite,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationCreateTokens,
+				kmsg.ACLOperationDescribeTokens,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Invalid Operations Excluded",
+			bitfield: 1<<15 | 1<<16, // Bits beyond known operations
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Empty Bitfield",
+			bitfield: math.MinInt32,
+			expected: []kmsg.ACLOperation{},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := DecodeACLOperations(tt.bitfield)
+
+			// Compare slices ignoring order
+			expectedMap := make(map[kmsg.ACLOperation]bool)
+			for _, op := range tt.expected {
+				expectedMap[op] = true
+			}
+
+			resultMap := make(map[kmsg.ACLOperation]bool)
+			for _, op := range result {
+				resultMap[op] = true
+			}
+
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(expectedMap, resultMap) {
+				t.Errorf("DecodeACLOperations(%d) = %v, expected %v", tt.bitfield, result, tt.expected)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}