diff --git a/rcmgr.go b/rcmgr.go
index e3f9c47..51467e8 100644
--- a/rcmgr.go
+++ b/rcmgr.go
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ func (s *connectionScope) SetPeer(p peer.ID) error {
 
 	// juggle resources from transient scope to peer scope
 	stat := s.resourceScope.rc.stat()
-	if _, err := s.peer.ReserveForChild(stat); err != nil {
+	if err := s.peer.ReserveForChild(stat); err != nil {
 		s.peer.DecRef()
 		s.peer = nil
 		return err
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ func (s *streamScope) SetProtocol(proto protocol.ID) error {
 
 	// juggle resources from transient scope to protocol scope
 	stat := s.resourceScope.rc.stat()
-	if _, err := s.proto.ReserveForChild(stat); err != nil {
+	if err := s.proto.ReserveForChild(stat); err != nil {
 		s.proto.DecRef()
 		s.proto = nil
 		return err
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ func (s *streamScope) SetService(svc string) error {
 	s.svc = s.rcmgr.getServiceScope(svc)
 
 	// reserve resources in service
-	if _, err := s.svc.ReserveForChild(s.resourceScope.rc.stat()); err != nil {
+	if err := s.svc.ReserveForChild(s.resourceScope.rc.stat()); err != nil {
 		s.svc.DecRef()
 		s.svc = nil
 		return err
diff --git a/scope.go b/scope.go
index ca2c2e5..8dbf2a6 100644
--- a/scope.go
+++ b/scope.go
@@ -58,36 +58,26 @@ func newTxnResourceScope(owner *resourceScope) *resourceScope {
 }
 
 // Resources implementation
-func (rc *resources) checkMemory(rsvp int64) (network.MemoryStatus, error) {
+func (rc *resources) checkMemory(rsvp int64, prio uint8) error {
 	// overflow check; this also has the side effect that we cannot reserve negative memory.
 	newmem := rc.memory + rsvp
-	if newmem < rc.memory {
-		return network.MemoryStatusOK, fmt.Errorf("memory reservation overflow: %w", network.ErrResourceLimitExceeded)
-	}
-
-	// limit check
 	limit := rc.limit.GetMemoryLimit()
-	switch {
-	case newmem > limit:
-		return network.MemoryStatusOK, fmt.Errorf("cannot reserve memory: %w", network.ErrResourceLimitExceeded)
-	case newmem > int64(0.8*float64(limit)):
-		return network.MemoryStatusCritical, nil
+	threshold := (1 + int64(prio)) * limit / 256
 
-	case newmem > int64(0.5*float64(limit)):
-		return network.MemoryStatusCaution, nil
-
-	default:
-		return network.MemoryStatusOK, nil
+	if newmem > threshold {
+		return network.ErrResourceLimitExceeded
 	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
-func (rc *resources) reserveMemory(size int64) (status network.MemoryStatus, err error) {
-	if status, err = rc.checkMemory(size); err != nil {
-		return status, err
+func (rc *resources) reserveMemory(size int64, prio uint8) error {
+	if err := rc.checkMemory(size, prio); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	rc.memory += size
-	return status, nil
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (rc *resources) releaseMemory(size int64) {
@@ -204,47 +194,38 @@ func (rc *resources) stat() network.ScopeStat {
 }
 
 // resourceScope implementation
-func (s *resourceScope) ReserveMemory(size int) (status network.MemoryStatus, err error) {
+func (s *resourceScope) ReserveMemory(size int, prio uint8) error {
 	s.Lock()
 	defer s.Unlock()
 
 	if s.done {
-		return network.MemoryStatusOK, network.ErrResourceScopeClosed
+		return network.ErrResourceScopeClosed
 	}
 
-	if status, err = s.rc.reserveMemory(int64(size)); err != nil {
-		return status, err
+	if err := s.rc.reserveMemory(int64(size), prio); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
-	var statusCst network.MemoryStatus
-	if statusCst, err = s.reserveMemoryForConstraints(size); err != nil {
+	if err := s.reserveMemoryForConstraints(size, prio); err != nil {
 		s.rc.releaseMemory(int64(size))
-		return status, err
+		return err
 	}
 
-	if statusCst > status {
-		status = statusCst
-	}
-
-	return status, nil
+	return nil
 }
 
-func (s *resourceScope) reserveMemoryForConstraints(size int) (status network.MemoryStatus, err error) {
+func (s *resourceScope) reserveMemoryForConstraints(size int, prio uint8) error {
 	if s.owner != nil {
-		return s.owner.ReserveMemory(size)
+		return s.owner.ReserveMemory(size, prio)
 	}
 
 	var reserved int
+	var err error
 	for _, cst := range s.constraints {
-		var statusCst network.MemoryStatus
-		if statusCst, err = cst.ReserveMemoryForChild(int64(size)); err != nil {
+		if err = cst.ReserveMemoryForChild(int64(size), prio); err != nil {
 			break
 		}
 
-		if statusCst > status {
-			status = statusCst
-		}
-
 		reserved++
 	}
 
@@ -255,7 +236,7 @@ func (s *resourceScope) reserveMemoryForConstraints(size int) (status network.Me
 		}
 	}
 
-	return status, err
+	return err
 }
 
 func (s *resourceScope) releaseMemoryForConstraints(size int) {
@@ -269,15 +250,15 @@ func (s *resourceScope) releaseMemoryForConstraints(size int) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (s *resourceScope) ReserveMemoryForChild(size int64) (network.MemoryStatus, error) {
+func (s *resourceScope) ReserveMemoryForChild(size int64, prio uint8) error {
 	s.Lock()
 	defer s.Unlock()
 
 	if s.done {
-		return network.MemoryStatusOK, network.ErrResourceScopeClosed
+		return network.ErrResourceScopeClosed
 	}
 
-	return s.rc.reserveMemory(size)
+	return s.rc.reserveMemory(size, prio)
 }
 
 func (s *resourceScope) ReleaseMemory(size int) {
@@ -478,30 +459,30 @@ func (s *resourceScope) RemoveConnForChild(dir network.Direction, usefd bool) {
 	s.rc.removeConn(dir, usefd)
 }
 
-func (s *resourceScope) ReserveForChild(st network.ScopeStat) (status network.MemoryStatus, err error) {
+func (s *resourceScope) ReserveForChild(st network.ScopeStat) error {
 	s.Lock()
 	defer s.Unlock()
 
 	if s.done {
-		return network.MemoryStatusOK, network.ErrResourceScopeClosed
+		return network.ErrResourceScopeClosed
 	}
 
-	if status, err = s.rc.reserveMemory(st.Memory); err != nil {
-		return status, err
+	if err := s.rc.reserveMemory(st.Memory, network.ReservationPriorityAlways); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	if err := s.rc.addStreams(st.NumStreamsInbound, st.NumStreamsOutbound); err != nil {
 		s.rc.releaseMemory(st.Memory)
-		return status, err
+		return err
 	}
 
 	if err := s.rc.addConns(st.NumConnsInbound, st.NumConnsOutbound, st.NumFD); err != nil {
 		s.rc.releaseMemory(st.Memory)
 		s.rc.removeStreams(st.NumStreamsInbound, st.NumStreamsOutbound)
-		return status, err
+		return err
 	}
 
-	return status, nil
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (s *resourceScope) ReleaseForChild(st network.ScopeStat) {