diff --git a/lib/auth/auth.go b/lib/auth/auth.go
index ea062eefc58c4..541cda6bc8312 100644
--- a/lib/auth/auth.go
+++ b/lib/auth/auth.go
@@ -5319,6 +5319,54 @@ func groupByDeviceType(devs []*types.MFADevice, groupWebauthn bool) devicesByTyp
 	return res
 }
 
+// validateMFAAuthResponseForRegister is akin to [validateMFAAuthResponse], but
+// it allows users with no devices to supply a nil/empty response.
+//
+// The hasDevices response value can only be trusted in the absence of errors.
+//
+// Use only for registration purposes.
+func (a *Server) validateMFAAuthResponseForRegister(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	resp *proto.MFAAuthenticateResponse, username string, passwordless bool,
+) (hasDevices bool, err error) {
+	// Let users without a useable device go through registration.
+	if resp == nil || (resp.GetTOTP() == nil && resp.GetWebauthn() == nil) {
+		devices, err := a.Services.GetMFADevices(ctx, username, false /* withSecrets */)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, trace.Wrap(err)
+		}
+		if len(devices) == 0 {
+			// Allowed, no devices registered.
+			return false, nil
+		}
+
+		authPref, err := a.GetAuthPreference(ctx)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, trace.Wrap(err)
+		}
+		totpEnabled := authPref.IsSecondFactorTOTPAllowed()
+		webauthnEnabled := authPref.IsSecondFactorWebauthnAllowed()
+
+		devsByType := groupByDeviceType(devices, webauthnEnabled)
+		if (totpEnabled && devsByType.TOTP) || (webauthnEnabled && len(devsByType.Webauthn) > 0) {
+			return false, trace.BadParameter("second factor authentication required")
+		}
+
+		// Allowed, no useable devices registered.
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	if err := a.WithUserLock(username, func() error {
+		_, _, err := a.validateMFAAuthResponse(
+			ctx, resp, username, false /* passwordless */)
+		return err
+	}); err != nil {
+		return false, trace.Wrap(err)
+	}
+
+	return true, nil
+}
+
 // validateMFAAuthResponse validates an MFA or passwordless challenge.
 // Returns the device used to solve the challenge (if applicable) and the
 // username.
diff --git a/lib/auth/usertoken.go b/lib/auth/usertoken.go
index ee47d5bc8a78e..42bcbb2e14385 100644
--- a/lib/auth/usertoken.go
+++ b/lib/auth/usertoken.go
@@ -463,27 +463,12 @@ func (s *Server) CreatePrivilegeToken(ctx context.Context, req *proto.CreatePriv
 
 	tokenKind := UserTokenTypePrivilege
 
-	switch {
-	case req.GetExistingMFAResponse() == nil:
-		// Allows users with no devices to bypass second factor re-auth.
-		devices, err := s.Services.GetMFADevices(ctx, username, false /* withSecrets */)
-		switch {
-		case err != nil:
-			return nil, trace.Wrap(err)
-		case len(devices) > 0:
-			return nil, trace.BadParameter("second factor authentication required")
-		}
-
+	switch hasDevices, err := s.validateMFAAuthResponseForRegister(
+		ctx, req.GetExistingMFAResponse(), username, false /* passwordless */); {
+	case err != nil:
+		return nil, trace.Wrap(err)
+	case !hasDevices:
 		tokenKind = UserTokenTypePrivilegeException
-
-	default:
-		if err := s.WithUserLock(username, func() error {
-			_, _, err := s.validateMFAAuthResponse(
-				ctx, req.GetExistingMFAResponse(), username, false /* passwordless */)
-			return err
-		}); err != nil {
-			return nil, trace.Wrap(err)
-		}
 	}
 
 	// Delete any existing user tokens for user before creating.
diff --git a/lib/auth/usertoken_test.go b/lib/auth/usertoken_test.go
index 419d396ead386..dae47b66eaabb 100644
--- a/lib/auth/usertoken_test.go
+++ b/lib/auth/usertoken_test.go
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gravitational/trace"
 	"github.com/jonboulle/clockwork"
 	"github.com/pquerna/otp/totp"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/gravitational/teleport"
@@ -441,6 +442,110 @@ func TestCreatePrivilegeToken_WithLock(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestCreatePrivilegeToken_unusableDevice tests that it is possible to
+// register new devices even if the user has an "unusable" device (due to
+// cluster setting changes).
+func TestCreatePrivilegeToken_unusableDevice(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	testServer := newTestTLSServer(t)
+	authServer := testServer.Auth()
+	clock := authServer.GetClock()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	initialPref, err := types.NewAuthPreference(types.AuthPreferenceSpecV2{
+		Type:         constants.Local,
+		SecondFactor: constants.SecondFactorOptional, // most permissive setting
+		Webauthn: &types.Webauthn{
+			RPID: "localhost",
+		},
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err, "NewAuthPreference")
+
+	setAuthPref := func(t *testing.T, authPref types.AuthPreference) {
+		require.NoError(t,
+			authServer.SetAuthPreference(ctx, authPref),
+			"SetAuthPreference")
+	}
+	setAuthPref(t, initialPref)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name                  string
+		existingType, newType proto.DeviceType
+		newAuthSpec           types.AuthPreferenceSpecV2
+	}{
+		{
+			name:         "unusable totp, new webauthn",
+			existingType: proto.DeviceType_DEVICE_TYPE_TOTP,
+			newType:      proto.DeviceType_DEVICE_TYPE_WEBAUTHN,
+			newAuthSpec: types.AuthPreferenceSpecV2{
+				Type:         initialPref.GetType(),
+				SecondFactor: constants.SecondFactorWebauthn, // makes TOTP unusable
+				Webauthn: func() *types.Webauthn {
+					w, _ := initialPref.GetWebauthn()
+					return w
+				}(),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "unusable webauthn, new totp",
+			existingType: proto.DeviceType_DEVICE_TYPE_WEBAUTHN,
+			newType:      proto.DeviceType_DEVICE_TYPE_TOTP,
+			newAuthSpec: types.AuthPreferenceSpecV2{
+				Type:         initialPref.GetType(),
+				SecondFactor: constants.SecondFactorOTP, // makes Webauthn unusable
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	devOpts := []TestDeviceOpt{WithTestDeviceClock(clock)}
+	for i, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			setAuthPref(t, initialPref) // restore permissive settings.
+
+			// Create user.
+			username := fmt.Sprintf("llama-%d", i)
+			user, _, err := CreateUserAndRole(authServer, username, []string{username} /* logins */, nil /* allowRules */)
+			require.NoError(t, err, "CreateUserAndRole")
+			userClient, err := testServer.NewClient(TestUser(user.GetName()))
+			require.NoError(t, err, "NewClient")
+
+			// Register initial MFA device.
+			_, err = RegisterTestDevice(
+				ctx,
+				userClient,
+				"existing", test.existingType, nil /* authenticator */, devOpts...)
+			require.NoError(t, err, "RegisterTestDevice")
+
+			// Sanity check: privilege tokens for test.existingType require a solved
+			// authn challenge.
+			_, err = userClient.CreatePrivilegeToken(ctx, &proto.CreatePrivilegeTokenRequest{
+				ExistingMFAResponse: &proto.MFAAuthenticateResponse{},
+			})
+			assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "second factor")
+
+			// Restore initial settings after test.
+			defer func() {
+				setAuthPref(t, initialPref)
+			}()
+
+			// Change cluster settings.
+			// This should make the device registered above unusable.
+			newAuthPref, err := types.NewAuthPreference(test.newAuthSpec)
+			require.NoError(t, err, "NewAuthPreference")
+			setAuthPref(t, newAuthPref)
+
+			// Create a privilege token for the "new" device without an
+			// ExistingMFAResponse.
+			// Not allowed if the device above was usable.
+			_, err = userClient.CreatePrivilegeToken(ctx, &proto.CreatePrivilegeTokenRequest{
+				ExistingMFAResponse: &proto.MFAAuthenticateResponse{},
+			})
+			assert.NoError(t, err, "CreatePrivilegeToken")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 type debugAuth struct {
 	proxies      []types.Server
 	proxiesError bool