diff --git a/gcloud/connection.py b/gcloud/connection.py
index c56a27ff8b8f..5ede41322086 100644
--- a/gcloud/connection.py
+++ b/gcloud/connection.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 import httplib2
 
+from gcloud.credentials import get_credentials
 from gcloud.exceptions import make_exception
 
 
@@ -297,3 +298,20 @@ def api_request(self, method, path, query_params=None,
             return json.loads(content)
 
         return content
+
+
+def get_scoped_connection(klass, scopes):
+    """Create a scoped connection to GCloud.
+
+    :type klass: subclass of :class:`gcloud.connection.Connection`
+    :param klass: the specific ``Connection`` class to instantiate.
+
+    :type scopes: list of URLs
+    :param scopes: the effective service auth scopes for the connection.
+
+    :rtype: instance of ``klass``
+    :returns: A connection defined with the proper credentials.
+    """
+    implicit_credentials = get_credentials()
+    scoped_credentials = implicit_credentials.create_scoped(scopes)
+    return klass(credentials=scoped_credentials)
diff --git a/gcloud/datastore/_implicit_environ.py b/gcloud/datastore/_implicit_environ.py
index f48619e2dc81..0d18b7540bf0 100644
--- a/gcloud/datastore/_implicit_environ.py
+++ b/gcloud/datastore/_implicit_environ.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 from gcloud._helpers import _app_engine_id
 from gcloud._helpers import _compute_engine_id
 from gcloud._helpers import _lazy_property_deco
-from gcloud import credentials
+from gcloud.connection import get_scoped_connection
 from gcloud.datastore.connection import Connection
 
 
@@ -126,9 +126,7 @@ def get_connection():
     :rtype: :class:`gcloud.datastore.connection.Connection`
     :returns: A connection defined with the proper credentials.
     """
-    implicit_credentials = credentials.get_credentials()
-    scoped_credentials = implicit_credentials.create_scoped(SCOPE)
-    return Connection(credentials=scoped_credentials)
+    return get_scoped_connection(Connection, SCOPE)
 
 
 def set_default_connection(connection=None):
diff --git a/gcloud/datastore/test__implicit_environ.py b/gcloud/datastore/test__implicit_environ.py
index 4c41d8eb9d0c..9f2d7018041e 100644
--- a/gcloud/datastore/test__implicit_environ.py
+++ b/gcloud/datastore/test__implicit_environ.py
@@ -305,6 +305,7 @@ def _callFUT(self):
 
     def test_it(self):
         from gcloud import credentials
+        from gcloud.datastore._implicit_environ import SCOPE
         from gcloud.datastore.connection import Connection
         from gcloud.test_credentials import _Client
         from gcloud._testing import _Monkey
@@ -314,6 +315,7 @@ def test_it(self):
             found = self._callFUT()
         self.assertTrue(isinstance(found, Connection))
         self.assertTrue(found._credentials is client._signed)
+        self.assertEqual(found._credentials._scopes, SCOPE)
         self.assertTrue(client._get_app_default_called)
 
 
diff --git a/gcloud/storage/__init__.py b/gcloud/storage/__init__.py
index 1040466863e2..200d863ea544 100644
--- a/gcloud/storage/__init__.py
+++ b/gcloud/storage/__init__.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 from gcloud import credentials
 from gcloud._helpers import get_default_project
 from gcloud._helpers import set_default_project
+from gcloud.connection import get_scoped_connection
 from gcloud.storage import _implicit_environ
 from gcloud.storage._implicit_environ import get_default_bucket
 from gcloud.storage._implicit_environ import get_default_connection
@@ -133,6 +134,4 @@ def get_connection():
     :rtype: :class:`gcloud.storage.connection.Connection`
     :returns: A connection defined with the proper credentials.
     """
-    implicit_credentials = credentials.get_credentials()
-    scoped_credentials = implicit_credentials.create_scoped(SCOPE)
-    return Connection(credentials=scoped_credentials)
+    return get_scoped_connection(Connection, SCOPE)
diff --git a/gcloud/storage/test___init__.py b/gcloud/storage/test___init__.py
index d4a1e3dfca8e..86127b6b5117 100644
--- a/gcloud/storage/test___init__.py
+++ b/gcloud/storage/test___init__.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ def _callFUT(self, *args, **kw):
 
     def test_it(self):
         from gcloud import credentials
+        from gcloud.storage import SCOPE
         from gcloud.storage.connection import Connection
         from gcloud.test_credentials import _Client
         from gcloud._testing import _Monkey
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ def test_it(self):
             found = self._callFUT()
         self.assertTrue(isinstance(found, Connection))
         self.assertTrue(found._credentials is client._signed)
+        self.assertEqual(found._credentials._scopes, SCOPE)
         self.assertTrue(client._get_app_default_called)
 
 
diff --git a/gcloud/test_connection.py b/gcloud/test_connection.py
index 2cdda517eca8..8b6261ba3725 100644
--- a/gcloud/test_connection.py
+++ b/gcloud/test_connection.py
@@ -347,3 +347,31 @@ def __init__(self, headers, content):
     def request(self, **kw):
         self._called_with = kw
         return self._response, self._content
+
+
+class Test_get_scoped_connection(unittest2.TestCase):
+
+    def _callFUT(self, klass, scopes):
+        from gcloud.connection import get_scoped_connection
+        return get_scoped_connection(klass, scopes)
+
+    def test_it(self):
+        from gcloud import credentials
+        from gcloud.test_credentials import _Client
+        from gcloud._testing import _Monkey
+
+        class _Connection(object):
+            def __init__(self, credentials):
+                self._credentials = credentials
+
+        SCOPES = ('https://www.googleapis.com/auth/example',
+                  'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email')
+
+        client = _Client()
+        with _Monkey(credentials, client=client):
+            found = self._callFUT(_Connection, SCOPES)
+
+        self.assertTrue(isinstance(found, _Connection))
+        self.assertTrue(found._credentials is client._signed)
+        self.assertEqual(found._credentials._scopes, SCOPES)
+        self.assertTrue(client._get_app_default_called)
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 5d767ed9b5b9..b4c53ad25234 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ commands =
 deps =
     nose
     unittest2
-    protobuf==3.0.0-alpha-1
+    protobuf>=3.0.0-alpha-1
 
 [testenv:cover]
 basepython =
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ commands =
 deps =
     nose
     unittest2
-    protobuf==3.0.0-alpha-1
+    protobuf>=3.0.0-alpha-1
     coverage
     nosexcover
 
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ deps =
     pep8
     pylint
     unittest2
-    protobuf==3.0.0-alpha-1
+    protobuf>=3.0.0-alpha-1
 
 [testenv:regression]
 basepython =
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ commands =
     {toxinidir}/scripts/run_regression.sh
 deps =
     unittest2
-    protobuf==3.0.0-alpha-1
+    protobuf>=3.0.0-alpha-1
 
 [testenv:regression3]
 basepython =
@@ -77,4 +77,4 @@ deps =
 #   Use a development checkout of oauth2client until a release is made
 #   which fixes https://github.com/google/oauth2client/issues/125
     -egit+https://github.com/google/oauth2client.git#egg=oauth2client
-    protobuf==3.0.0-alpha-1
+    protobuf>=3.0.0-alpha-1