diff --git a/services/identity/src/main.rs b/services/identity/src/main.rs
--- a/services/identity/src/main.rs
+++ b/services/identity/src/main.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 mod interceptor;
 mod keygen;
 mod nonce;
+mod pake_grpc;
 mod service;
 mod token;
 
diff --git a/services/identity/src/pake_grpc.rs b/services/identity/src/pake_grpc.rs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/identity/src/pake_grpc.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+use comm_opaque::Cipher;
+use opaque_ke::CredentialFinalization;
+use opaque_ke::CredentialRequest;
+use opaque_ke::RegistrationRequest;
+use opaque_ke::RegistrationUpload;
+use opaque_ke::ServerLogin;
+use opaque_ke::ServerLoginFinishResult;
+use opaque_ke::ServerLoginStartParameters;
+use opaque_ke::ServerLoginStartResult;
+use opaque_ke::ServerRegistration;
+use opaque_ke::ServerRegistrationStartResult;
+use rand::CryptoRng;
+use rand::Rng;
+use tonic::Status;
+use tracing::error;
+
+use crate::config::CONFIG;
+
+/// This file is meant to expose the opaque_ke actions, but
+/// returning tonic::Status as the error type to reduce boilerplate
+/// around describing PAKE failures to grpc.
+
+pub fn server_registration_start(
+  rng: &mut (impl Rng + CryptoRng),
+  pake_registration_request: &Vec<u8>,
+) -> Result<ServerRegistrationStartResult<Cipher>, Status> {
+  let registration_bytes = RegistrationRequest::deserialize(
+    &pake_registration_request[..],
+  )
+  .map_err(|e| {
+    error!("Unsuccessfully deserialized registration bytes: {}", e);
+    Status::invalid_argument("Invalid Registration response")
+  })?;
+  ServerRegistration::<Cipher>::start(
+    rng,
+    registration_bytes,
+    CONFIG.server_keypair.public(),
+  )
+  .map_err(|e| {
+    error!("Unsuccessfully started PAKE server response: {}", e);
+    Status::aborted("server error")
+  })
+}
+
+pub fn server_registration_finish(
+  server_registration: ServerRegistration<Cipher>,
+  registration_upload_bytes: &Vec<u8>,
+) -> Result<ServerRegistration<Cipher>, Status> {
+  let upload_payload = RegistrationUpload::deserialize(
+    registration_upload_bytes,
+  )
+  .map_err(|e| {
+    error!("Failed to deserialize registration upload bytes: {}", e);
+    Status::invalid_argument("invalid registration")
+  })?;
+  server_registration.finish(upload_payload).map_err(|e| {
+    error!(
+      "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when finishing registration: {}",
+      e
+    );
+    Status::aborted("server error")
+  })
+}
+
+pub fn server_login_start(
+  rng: &mut (impl Rng + CryptoRng),
+  server_registration: ServerRegistration<Cipher>,
+  pake_credential_request: &[u8],
+) -> Result<ServerLoginStartResult<Cipher>, Status> {
+  let credential_request =
+    CredentialRequest::deserialize(pake_credential_request).map_err(|e| {
+      error!("Failed to deserialize credential request: {}", e);
+      Status::invalid_argument("invalid message")
+    })?;
+  ServerLogin::start(
+    rng,
+    server_registration,
+    CONFIG.server_keypair.private(),
+    credential_request,
+    ServerLoginStartParameters::default(),
+  )
+  .map_err(|e| {
+    error!(
+      "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when starting login: {}",
+      e
+    );
+    Status::aborted("server error")
+  })
+}
+pub fn server_login_finish(
+  server_login: ServerLogin<Cipher>,
+  pake_credential_finalization: &Vec<u8>,
+) -> Result<ServerLoginFinishResult<Cipher>, Status> {
+  let finalization_payload =
+    CredentialFinalization::deserialize(&pake_credential_finalization[..])
+      .map_err(|e| {
+        error!("Failed to deserialize credential finalization bytes: {}", e);
+        Status::invalid_argument("Could not deserialize login credentials")
+      })?;
+  server_login.finish(finalization_payload).map_err(|e| {
+    error!(
+      "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when finishing login: {}",
+      e
+    );
+    Status::aborted("server error")
+  })
+}
diff --git a/services/identity/src/service.rs b/services/identity/src/service.rs
--- a/services/identity/src/service.rs
+++ b/services/identity/src/service.rs
@@ -4,12 +4,7 @@
 use comm_opaque::Cipher;
 use constant_time_eq::constant_time_eq;
 use futures_core::Stream;
-use opaque_ke::{
-  CredentialFinalization, CredentialRequest,
-  RegistrationRequest as PakeRegistrationRequest, ServerLogin,
-  ServerLoginStartParameters,
-};
-use opaque_ke::{RegistrationUpload, ServerRegistration};
+use opaque_ke::{ServerLogin, ServerRegistration};
 use rand::rngs::OsRng;
 use rand::{CryptoRng, Rng};
 use siwe::Message;
@@ -20,10 +15,10 @@
 use tonic::{Request, Response, Status};
 use tracing::{error, info, instrument};
 
-use crate::config::CONFIG;
 use crate::constants::MPSC_CHANNEL_BUFFER_CAPACITY;
 use crate::database::{DatabaseClient, Error as DBError};
 use crate::nonce::generate_nonce_data;
+use crate::pake_grpc;
 use crate::token::{AccessTokenData, AuthType};
 
 pub use proto::identity_service_server::IdentityServiceServer;
@@ -451,37 +446,22 @@
       }
       Err(e) => return Err(handle_db_error(e)),
     };
-  let credential_request =
-    CredentialRequest::deserialize(pake_credential_request).map_err(|e| {
-      error!("Failed to deserialize credential request: {}", e);
-      Status::invalid_argument("invalid message")
-    })?;
-  match ServerLogin::start(
+  let server_login_start_result = pake_grpc::server_login_start(
     &mut OsRng,
     server_registration,
-    CONFIG.server_keypair.private(),
-    credential_request,
-    ServerLoginStartParameters::default(),
-  ) {
-    Ok(server_login_start_result) => Ok(LoginResponseAndPakeState {
-      response: PakeLoginResponseStruct {
-        data: Some(PakeCredentialResponse(
-          server_login_start_result.message.serialize().map_err(|e| {
-            error!("Failed to serialize PAKE message: {}", e);
-            Status::failed_precondition("internal error")
-          })?,
-        )),
-      },
-      pake_state: server_login_start_result.state,
-    }),
-    Err(e) => {
-      error!(
-        "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when starting login: {}",
-        e
-      );
-      Err(Status::aborted("server error"))
-    }
-  }
+    pake_credential_request,
+  )?;
+  let credential_response =
+    server_login_start_result.message.serialize().map_err(|e| {
+      error!("Failed to serialize PAKE message: {}", e);
+      Status::failed_precondition("internal error")
+    })?;
+  Ok(LoginResponseAndPakeState {
+    response: PakeLoginResponseStruct {
+      data: Some(PakeCredentialResponse(credential_response)),
+    },
+    pake_state: server_login_start_result.state,
+  })
 }
 
 async fn pake_login_finish(
@@ -489,7 +469,7 @@
   signing_public_key: &str,
   client: &DatabaseClient,
   server_login: ServerLogin<Cipher>,
-  pake_credential_finalization: &[u8],
+  pake_credential_finalization: &Vec<u8>,
   rng: &mut (impl Rng + CryptoRng),
   pake_workflow: PakeWorkflow,
   session_initialization_info: &HashMap<String, String>,
@@ -501,21 +481,8 @@
     );
     return Err(Status::aborted("user not found"));
   }
-  server_login
-    .finish(
-      CredentialFinalization::deserialize(pake_credential_finalization)
-        .map_err(|e| {
-          error!("Failed to deserialize credential finalization bytes: {}", e);
-          Status::aborted("login failed")
-        })?,
-    )
-    .map_err(|e| {
-      error!(
-        "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when finishing login: {}",
-        e
-      );
-      Status::aborted("server error")
-    })?;
+
+  pake_grpc::server_login_finish(server_login, pake_credential_finalization)?;
   if matches!(pake_workflow, PakeWorkflow::Login) {
     client
       .update_users_table(
@@ -542,45 +509,28 @@
   })
 }
 
-async fn pake_registration_start(
-  rng: &mut (impl Rng + CryptoRng),
-  registration_request_bytes: &[u8],
+async fn server_register_response(
+  registration_request_bytes: &Vec<u8>,
 ) -> Result<RegistrationResponseAndPakeState, Status> {
-  match ServerRegistration::<Cipher>::start(
-    rng,
-    PakeRegistrationRequest::deserialize(registration_request_bytes).map_err(
-      |e| {
-        error!("Failed to deserialize registration request bytes: {}", e);
-        Status::aborted("registration failed")
-      },
-    )?,
-    CONFIG.server_keypair.public(),
-  ) {
-    Ok(server_registration_start_result) => {
-      Ok(RegistrationResponseAndPakeState {
-        response: RegistrationResponse {
-          data: Some(PakeRegistrationResponse(
-            server_registration_start_result.message.serialize(),
-          )),
-        },
-        pake_state: server_registration_start_result.state,
-      })
-    }
-    Err(e) => {
-      error!(
-        "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when starting registration: {}",
-        e
-      );
-      Err(Status::aborted("server error"))
-    }
-  }
+  let server_registration_start_result = pake_grpc::server_registration_start(
+    &mut OsRng,
+    registration_request_bytes,
+  )?;
+  Ok(RegistrationResponseAndPakeState {
+    response: RegistrationResponse {
+      data: Some(PakeRegistrationResponse(
+        server_registration_start_result.message.serialize(),
+      )),
+    },
+    pake_state: server_registration_start_result.state,
+  })
 }
 
 async fn pake_registration_finish(
   user_id: &str,
   client: &DatabaseClient,
-  registration_upload_bytes: &[u8],
-  server_registration: Option<ServerRegistration<Cipher>>,
+  registration_upload_bytes: &Vec<u8>,
+  server_registration: ServerRegistration<Cipher>,
   username: &str,
   signing_public_key: &str,
   session_initialization_info: &HashMap<String, String>,
@@ -589,23 +539,11 @@
     error!("Incomplete data: user ID not provided");
     return Err(Status::aborted("user not found"));
   }
-  let server_registration_finish_result = server_registration
-    .ok_or_else(|| Status::aborted("registration failed"))?
-    .finish(
-      RegistrationUpload::deserialize(registration_upload_bytes).map_err(
-        |e| {
-          error!("Failed to deserialize registration upload bytes: {}", e);
-          Status::aborted("registration failed")
-        },
-      )?,
-    )
-    .map_err(|e| {
-      error!(
-        "Encountered a PAKE protocol error when finishing registration: {}",
-        e
-      );
-      Status::aborted("server error")
-    })?;
+  let server_registration_finish_result =
+    pake_grpc::server_registration_finish(
+      server_registration,
+      registration_upload_bytes,
+    )?;
 
   match client
     .add_user_to_users_table(
diff --git a/services/identity/src/service/registration.rs b/services/identity/src/service/registration.rs
--- a/services/identity/src/service/registration.rs
+++ b/services/identity/src/service/registration.rs
@@ -37,8 +37,7 @@
         Err(e) => return Err(handle_db_error(e)),
         _ => {}
       };
-      let response_and_state = pake_registration_start(
-        &mut OsRng,
+      let response_and_state = server_register_response(
         &pake_registration_request_and_user_id.pake_registration_request,
       )
       .await?;
@@ -81,7 +80,7 @@
         client,
         &pake_registration_upload_and_credential_request
           .pake_registration_upload,
-        Some(pake_state),
+        pake_state,
         &registration_state.username,
         &registration_state.signing_public_key,
         &registration_state.session_initialization_info,