diff --git a/.eslintrc.json b/.eslintrc.json
index 79b4611..0cf9af2 100644
--- a/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/.eslintrc.json
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
       "new-cap": [2 , { "capIsNewExceptions": ["Q", "ObjectId"] }],
       "prefer-arrow-callback": 0,
       "func-names": 0,
-      "no-underscore-dangle": [2, { "allow": ["_id"] }]
+      "no-underscore-dangle": [2, { "allow": ["_id"] }],
+      "prefer-template": 0
     }
 }
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 5085a5b..8bbeea6 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 var mongoose = require('mongoose');
 
 var mongo = require('./lib/mongodb');
+var refreshToken = require('./lib/refreshToken');
+var init = require('./lib/init');
 
 module.exports = {
-  init: mongo.init,
+  init: init,
   models: mongo.models,
   getConnection: mongo.getConnection,
+  refreshToken: refreshToken,
   mongoose: mongoose,
 };
diff --git a/lib/init.js b/lib/init.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab6496a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/init.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+var mongo = require('./mongodb');
+var refreshToken = require('./refreshToken');
+
+module.exports = function init(nconf) {
+  return mongo.init(nconf)
+    .then(function() {
+      return refreshToken.init(nconf);
+    });
+};
diff --git a/lib/mongodb.js b/lib/mongodb.js
index 94db458..21906b3 100644
--- a/lib/mongodb.js
+++ b/lib/mongodb.js
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ var mongoConnection;
 var deferredConnections = [];
 var models = {};
 
+mongoose.Promise = Q.Promise;
+
 function loadMongooseModels(connection) {
   fs.readdirSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', 'models'))
     .filter(function(file) {
diff --git a/lib/refreshToken.js b/lib/refreshToken.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd13ccb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/refreshToken.js
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+var Q = require('q');
+var rp = require('request-promise');
+
+var oauthConfig;
+
+module.exports = function refreshToken(userId, service) {
+  if (!oauthConfig) {
+    return Q.promise(function(resolve, reject) {
+      reject('not initialised');
+    });
+  }
+
+  return rp({
+    url: `${oauthConfig.url}/api/v1/admin/refreshToken`,
+    json: true,
+    auth: {
+      user: oauthConfig.clientId,
+      pass: oauthConfig.clientSecret,
+    },
+    body: {
+      userId: userId,
+      service: service,
+    },
+  });
+};
+
+module.exports.init = function initRefreshToken(nconf) {
+  return Q.ninvoke(nconf, 'get', 'authmaker:server').then(function(config) {
+    if (!config || !config.url || !config.clientId || !config.clientSecret) {
+      return Q();
+    }
+
+    // do a test checkin with the authmaker server
+    return rp({
+      url: `${config.url}/api/v1/admin/ping`,
+      auth: {
+        user: config.clientId,
+        pass: config.clientSecret,
+      },
+    }).then(function() {
+      oauthConfig = config;
+    }, function() {
+      // ignore errors here;
+    });
+  });
+};
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9ca3969..8ee79d6 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
     "mongoose": "^4.5.9",
     "mongoose-nconf-connect": "^1.1.0",
     "q": "^1.2.0",
+    "request": "^2.74.0",
+    "request-promise": "^4.1.1",
     "winston": "^2.0.0"
   },
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/test/functions/refreshToken.js b/test/functions/refreshToken.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9689315
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/functions/refreshToken.js
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+var refreshToken = rootRequire('./lib/refreshToken');
+var nconf = require('nconf');
+
+describe.skip('refreshToken function', function() {
+  describe('during initialise', function() {
+    it('should not succeed with invalid credentials');
+    it('should succeed with valid credentials', function() {
+      nconf.overrides({
+        authmaker: {
+          server: {
+            clientId: 'Mk6LvLVqSh9WYXChuDN8',
+            clientSecret: 'faceyfaceface',
+            url: 'http://localhost:5000',
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      return refreshToken.init(nconf);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('should throw an error', function() {
+    it('when the required service is not available as an externalIdentity');
+    it('when the required userId is not found');
+    it('if authmaker:server is not defined in nconf');
+    it('if request to authmaker server fails');
+  });
+
+  describe('refreshing a token', function() {
+    it('should refresh tokens', function() {
+      nconf.overrides({
+        authmaker: {
+          server: {
+            clientId: 'Mk6LvLVqSh9WYXChuDN8',
+            clientSecret: 'faceyfaceface',
+            url: 'http://localhost:5000',
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      return refreshToken.init(nconf).then(function() {
+        return refreshToken('57a857e845bac5deccd690ba', 'youtube');
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/models/account.js b/test/models/account.js
index 0608d10..ff4ab9f 100644
--- a/test/models/account.js
+++ b/test/models/account.js
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-/* global rootRequire, describe, beforeEach, afterEach, it */
-
 var expect = require('chai').expect;
 
 var fixture = rootRequire('test/fixtures/accounts');