diff --git a/base-linux/src/core/include/platform_thread.h b/base-linux/src/core/include/platform_thread.h
index 4b2d1cd73..af93f4255 100644
--- a/base-linux/src/core/include/platform_thread.h
+++ b/base-linux/src/core/include/platform_thread.h
@@ -114,7 +114,19 @@ namespace Genode {
 			}
 
 			const char   *name() { return _name; }
-			void          affinity(Affinity::Location) { }
+
+			/**
+			 * Set the executing CPU for this thread
+			 *
+			 * SMP is currently not directly supported on Genode/Linux
+			 * (but indirectly by the Linux kernel).
+			 */
+			void affinity(Affinity::Location) { }
+
+			/**
+			 * Request the affinity of this thread
+			 */
+			Affinity::Location affinity() { return Affinity::Location(); }
 
 			/**
 			 * Register process ID and thread ID of thread
diff --git a/base/src/core/cpu_session_component.cc b/base/src/core/cpu_session_component.cc
index c194dc609..a854e20f9 100644
--- a/base/src/core/cpu_session_component.cc
+++ b/base/src/core/cpu_session_component.cc
@@ -122,6 +122,13 @@ int Cpu_session_component::start(Thread_capability thread_cap,
 	 */
 	thread->update_exception_sigh();
 
+	/*
+	 * If no affinity location was set for this specific thread before,
+	 * we set the one which was defined for the whole CPU session.
+	 */
+	if (!thread->platform_thread()->affinity().valid())
+		thread->platform_thread()->affinity(_location);
+
 	return thread->platform_thread()->start((void *)ip, (void *)sp);
 }
 
diff --git a/doc/release_notes-13-08.txt b/doc/release_notes-13-08.txt
index 7e323144b..a11c78e0d 100644
--- a/doc/release_notes-13-08.txt
+++ b/doc/release_notes-13-08.txt
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ declaration describes an affinity space of 4x2:
 
 ! <config>
 !   ...
-!   <affinity_space width="4" height="2" />
+!   <affinity-space width="4" height="2" />
 !   ...
 ! </config>
 
diff --git a/os/doc/init.txt b/os/doc/init.txt
index 9c546810b..00f9545bb 100644
--- a/os/doc/init.txt
+++ b/os/doc/init.txt
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ example, the following declaration describes an affinity space of 4x2:
 
 ! <config>
 !   ...
-!   <affinity_space width="4" height="2" />
+!   <affinity-space width="4" height="2" />
 !   ...
 ! </config>