diff --git a/aos/atom_code/init.cc b/aos/atom_code/init.cc
index c4e6d44..b3668e8 100644
--- a/aos/atom_code/init.cc
+++ b/aos/atom_code/init.cc
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
 
 void InitNRT() { DoInitNRT(aos_core_create::reference); }
 void InitCreate() { DoInitNRT(aos_core_create::create); }
-void Init() {
+void Init(int relative_priority) {
   if (getenv(kNoRealtimeEnvironmentVariable) == NULL) {  // if nobody set it
     LockAllMemory();
     // Only let rt processes run for 1 second straight.
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
     SetSoftRLimit(RLIMIT_RTPRIO, 40, false);
     // Set our process to priority 40.
     struct sched_param param;
-    param.sched_priority = 40;
+    param.sched_priority = 30 + relative_priority;
     if (sched_setscheduler(0, SCHED_FIFO, &param) != 0) {
       Die("%s-init: setting SCHED_FIFO failed with %d (%s)\n",
           program_invocation_short_name, errno, strerror(errno));
diff --git a/aos/atom_code/init.h b/aos/atom_code/init.h
index ffb7afc..b35a3b8 100644
--- a/aos/atom_code/init.h
+++ b/aos/atom_code/init.h
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@
 // Does the non-realtime parts of the initialization process.
 void InitNRT();
 // Initializes everything, including the realtime stuff.
-void Init();
+// relative_priority adjusts the priority of this process relative to all of the
+// other ones (positive for higher priority).
+void Init(int relative_priority = 0);
 // Same as InitNRT, except will remove an existing shared memory file and create
 // a new one.
 void InitCreate();