diff --git a/repos/os/include/init/child.h b/repos/os/include/init/child.h
index cdac89697..546d64122 100644
--- a/repos/os/include/init/child.h
+++ b/repos/os/include/init/child.h
@@ -178,17 +178,12 @@ namespace Init {
 		if (!service_matches)
 			return false;
 
-		if (!service_node.has_attribute("label"))
-			return true;
-
-		typedef Genode::String<160> Label;
-
-		Label const expected = service_node.attribute_value("label", Label());
+		typedef Genode::String<128> Label;
 
 		Label const session_label =
 			Label(skip_label_prefix(child_name, Genode::Session_label(args).string()));
 
-		return session_label == expected;
+		return !Genode::Xml_node_label_score(service_node, session_label).conflict();
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/repos/os/include/os/session_policy.h b/repos/os/include/os/session_policy.h
index 664a12a2c..d1df2d38b 100644
--- a/repos/os/include/os/session_policy.h
+++ b/repos/os/include/os/session_policy.h
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 /*
- * Copyright (C) 2011-2013 Genode Labs GmbH
+ * Copyright (C) 2011-2015 Genode Labs GmbH
  *
  * This file is part of the Genode OS framework, which is distributed
  * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.
@@ -19,11 +19,136 @@
 
 namespace Genode {
 
+	struct Xml_node_label_score;
 	struct Session_label;
 	class  Session_policy;
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * Score for matching an Xml_node against a label
+ *
+ * The score is based on the attributes 'label', 'label_prefix', and
+ * 'label_suffix'.
+ */
+struct Genode::Xml_node_label_score
+{
+	bool label_present  = true;
+	bool prefix_present = true;
+	bool suffix_present = true;
+
+	bool label_match = false;
+
+	/*
+	 * The match values contain the number of matching characters + 1.
+	 * If 0, there is a conflict. If 1, an empty string matched.
+	 */
+	enum { CONFLICT = 0 };
+	unsigned prefix_match = CONFLICT;
+	unsigned suffix_match = CONFLICT;
+
+	Xml_node_label_score() { }
+
+	template <size_t N>
+	Xml_node_label_score(Xml_node node, String<N> const &label)
+	:
+		label_present (node.has_attribute("label")),
+		prefix_present(node.has_attribute("label_prefix")),
+		suffix_present(node.has_attribute("label_suffix"))
+	{
+		if (label_present)
+			label_match = node.attribute_value("label", String<N>()) == label;
+
+		if (prefix_present) {
+			typedef String<N> Prefix;
+			Prefix const prefix = node.attribute_value("label_prefix", Prefix());
+
+			if (!strcmp(label.string(), prefix.string(), prefix.length() - 1))
+				prefix_match = prefix.length();
+		}
+
+		if (suffix_present) {
+			typedef String<N> Suffix;
+			Suffix const suffix = node.attribute_value("label_suffix", Suffix());
+
+			if (label.length() >= suffix.length()) {
+				unsigned const offset = label.length() - suffix.length();
+
+				if (!strcmp(label.string() + offset, suffix.string()))
+					suffix_match = suffix.length();
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	bool conflict() const
+	{
+		return (label_present  && !label_match)
+		    || (prefix_present && !prefix_match)
+		    || (suffix_present && !suffix_match);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Return true if this node's score is higher than 'other'
+	 */
+	bool stronger(Xml_node_label_score const &other) const
+	{
+		/* if we are in conflict, we have a lower score than any other node */
+		if (conflict())
+			return false;
+
+		/* there are no conflicts */
+
+		/* we have a higher score than another conflicting node */
+		if (other.conflict())
+			return true;
+
+		if (label_present && !other.label_present)
+			return true;
+
+		if (other.label_present)
+			return false;
+
+		/* labels are equally good */
+
+		if (prefix_present && !other.prefix_present)
+			return true;
+
+		if (!prefix_present && other.prefix_present)
+			return false;
+
+		if (prefix_present && other.prefix_present) {
+
+			if (prefix_match > other.prefix_match)
+				return true;
+
+			if (prefix_match < other.prefix_match)
+				return false;
+		}
+
+		/* prefixes are equally good */
+
+		if (suffix_present && !other.suffix_present)
+			return true;
+
+		if (!suffix_present && other.suffix_present)
+			return false;
+
+		if (suffix_present && other.suffix_present) {
+
+			if (suffix_match > other.suffix_match)
+				return true;
+
+			if (suffix_match < other.suffix_match)
+				return false;
+		}
+
+		/* nodes are equally good */
+
+		return false;
+	}
+};
+
+
 struct Genode::Session_label : String<128>
 {
 	Session_label() { }
@@ -62,41 +187,27 @@ class Genode::Session_policy : public Xml_node
 
 	private:
 
-		/**
-		 * Returns true if the start of the label matches the specified
-		 * match string
-		 */
-		static bool _label_matches(char const *label, char const *match) {
-			return strcmp(label, match, strlen(match)) == 0; }
-
 		/**
 		 * Query session policy from session label
 		 */
-		static Xml_node _query_policy(char const *label, Xml_node config)
+		template <size_t N>
+		static Xml_node _query_policy(String<N> const &label, Xml_node config)
 		{
 			/*
 			 * Find policy node that matches best
 			 */
-			Xml_node best_match("<none/>");
-
-			unsigned label_len = 0;
+			Xml_node             best_match("<none/>");
+			Xml_node_label_score best_score;
 
 			/*
 			 * Functor to be applied to each policy node
 			 */
 			auto lambda = [&] (Xml_node policy) {
-
-				/* label attribute from policy node */
-				char policy_label[Session_label::capacity()];
-				policy.attribute("label").value(policy_label,
-				                                sizeof(policy_label));
-
-				if (!_label_matches(label, policy_label)
-				 || strlen(policy_label) < label_len)
-					return;
-
-				label_len = strlen(policy_label);
-				best_match = policy;
+				Xml_node_label_score const score(policy, label);
+				if (score.stronger(best_score)) {
+					best_match = policy;
+					best_score = score;
+				}
 			};
 
 			config.for_each_sub_node("policy", lambda);
@@ -132,7 +243,7 @@ class Genode::Session_policy : public Xml_node
 		explicit Session_policy(String<N> const &label,
 		                        Xml_node config = Genode::config()->xml_node())
 		:
-			Xml_node(_query_policy(label.string(), config))
+			Xml_node(_query_policy(label, config))
 		{ }
 };