diff --git a/repos/gems/run/sculpt.run b/repos/gems/run/sculpt.run
index 66e6f19058..3b5a4bf92d 100644
--- a/repos/gems/run/sculpt.run
+++ b/repos/gems/run/sculpt.run
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ proc log_core_start_node { } {
 	if {[have_board linux]} return
 
 	return {
-	<start name="log_core">
+	<start name="log_core" priority="-1">
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
 		<config period_ms="2000"/>
 		<route>
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ proc log_kernel_start_node { } {
 	if {![have_spec nova]} return
 
 	return {
-	<start name="log_kernel">
+	<start name="log_kernel" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="log_core"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
 		<config period_ms="2000"/>
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ install_config {
 		<provides><service name="Timer"/></provides>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="report_rom" priority="0">
+	<start name="report_rom" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="report_rom"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="2M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="Report"/> <service name="ROM"/> </provides>
@@ -295,14 +295,14 @@ install_config {
 		</config>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="report_logger" priority="0">
+	<start name="report_logger" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="report_rom"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="Report"/> <service name="ROM"/> </provides>
 		<config verbose="yes"/>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="config_fs" caps="200" priority="0">
+	<start name="config_fs" caps="200" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="vfs"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="12M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="File_system"/> </provides>
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ install_config {
 		</config>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="config_fs_rom">
+	<start name="config_fs_rom" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="fs_rom"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="10M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="ROM"/> </provides>
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ install_config {
 		</route>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="report_fs_rom">
+	<start name="report_fs_rom" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="fs_rom"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="3M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="ROM"/> </provides>
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ install_config {
 		</route>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="report_fs">
+	<start name="report_fs" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="vfs"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="16M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="File_system"/> </provides>
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ install_config {
 		</config>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="log_terminal">
+	<start name="log_terminal" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="file_terminal"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="2M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="Terminal"/> </provides>
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ install_config {
 		</route>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="log">
+	<start name="log" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="terminal_log"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="LOG"/> </provides>
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ install_config {
 	} [log_core_start_node] {
 	} [log_kernel_start_node] {
 
-	<start name="fs_report">
+	<start name="fs_report" priority="-1">
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="Report"/> </provides>
 		<config> <vfs> <fs/> </vfs> </config>
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ install_config {
 	</start>
 
 	<!-- toggle key mappings depending on the numlock state -->
-	<start name="numlock_remap_rom">
+	<start name="numlock_remap_rom" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="rom_filter"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="ROM"/> </provides>
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ install_config {
 		</route>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="event_filter" caps="120">
+	<start name="event_filter" priority="-1" caps="120">
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="2M"/>
 		<provides> <service name="Event"/> </provides>
 		<route>
@@ -625,7 +625,7 @@ install_config {
 		</route>
 	</start>
 
-	<start name="terminal_monitor">
+	<start name="terminal_monitor" priority="-1">
 		<binary name="terminal_crosslink"/>
 		<resource name="RAM" quantum="2M"/>
 		<provides>
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/dialog/distant_runtime.cc b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/dialog/distant_runtime.cc
index 375eae9d07..4899916087 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/dialog/distant_runtime.cc
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/dialog/distant_runtime.cc
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ void Distant_runtime::gen_start_nodes(Xml_generator &xml) const
 
 		xml.attribute("name",    _start_name);
 		xml.attribute("version", _version);
+		xml.attribute("priority", (int)Priority::LEITZENTRALE);
 		xml.attribute("caps",    _caps.value);
 
 		xml.node("resource", [&] {
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/file_browser_state.h b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/file_browser_state.h
index 05cbf77101..9d40c58f14 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/file_browser_state.h
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/file_browser_state.h
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ struct Sculpt::File_browser_state : Noncopyable
 
 			text_area->gen_start_node_version(xml);
 
+			xml.attribute("priority", (int)Priority::LEITZENTRALE);
 			xml.attribute("caps", 350);
 			gen_named_node(xml, "resource", "RAM", [&] {
 				xml.attribute("quantum", String<64>(22*1024*1024UL)); });
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/runtime/inspect_view.cc b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/runtime/inspect_view.cc
index 71902369a1..498b422a6d 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/runtime/inspect_view.cc
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/runtime/inspect_view.cc
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ static void gen_terminal_start(Xml_generator &xml)
 {
 	gen_common_start_content(xml, "terminal",
 	                         Cap_quota{110}, Ram_quota{18*1024*1024},
-	                         Priority::LEITZENTRALE);
+	                         Priority::NESTED_MAX);
 
 	gen_provides<Terminal::Session>(xml);
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ static void gen_vfs_start(Xml_generator &xml,
 {
 	gen_common_start_content(xml, "vfs",
 	                         Cap_quota{200}, Ram_quota{6*1024*1024},
-	                         Priority::LEITZENTRALE);
+	                         Priority::NESTED_MAX);
 
 	gen_provides<::File_system::Session>(xml);
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static void gen_fs_rom_start(Xml_generator &xml)
 {
 	gen_common_start_content(xml, "vfs_rom",
 	                         Cap_quota{100}, Ram_quota{15*1024*1024},
-	                         Priority::LEITZENTRALE);
+	                         Priority::NESTED_MAX);
 
 	gen_named_node(xml, "binary", "cached_fs_rom", [&] { });
 
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ static void gen_bash_start(Xml_generator &xml)
 {
 	gen_common_start_content(xml, "bash",
 	                         Cap_quota{400}, Ram_quota{16*1024*1024},
-	                         Priority::LEITZENTRALE);
+	                         Priority::NESTED_MAX);
 
 	gen_named_node(xml, "binary", "/bin/bash", [&] { });
 
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/types.h b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/types.h
index 26ed2c424d..4df39205e5 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/types.h
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/types.h
@@ -59,8 +59,9 @@ namespace Sculpt {
 		NETWORK      = DEFAULT,
 		STORAGE      = DEFAULT,
 		MULTIMEDIA   = -1,
-		DRIVER       = 0,
-		LEITZENTRALE = 0         /* only for latency-critical drivers */
+		DRIVER       = 0,        /* only for latency-critical drivers */
+		LEITZENTRALE = MULTIMEDIA,
+		NESTED_MAX   = 0,        /* within nested init (inspect) */
 	};
 
 	/**