diff --git a/appdaemon/app_management.py b/appdaemon/app_management.py
index 2efd27e50..c45a23f18 100644
--- a/appdaemon/app_management.py
+++ b/appdaemon/app_management.py
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ async def check_app_config_files(self, update_actions: UpdateActions):
             self.app_config.root.update(freshly_read_cfg.root)
 
         if update_actions.apps.init_set:
-            # If there are any new apps, the dependency graph needs to be updated
+            # If there are any new/modified apps, the dependency graph needs to be updated
             self.dependency_manager.app_deps.refresh_dep_graph()
 
         if self.AD.threading.pin_apps:
@@ -921,8 +921,7 @@ def _process_import_paths(self):
                 package_parents = set(p.parent for p in top_packages_dirs)
 
                 # Combine import directories. Having the list sorted will prioritize parent folders over children during import
-                import_dirs = sorted(
-                    module_parents | package_parents, reverse=True)
+                import_dirs = sorted(module_parents | package_parents, reverse=True)
 
                 for path in import_dirs:
                     self.add_to_import_path(path)
@@ -1088,8 +1087,7 @@ async def safe_create(self: "AppManagement"):
             await self.AD.threading.calculate_pin_threads()
 
             # Need to recalculate start order in case creating the app object fails
-            start_order = update_actions.apps.start_sort(
-                self.dependency_manager)
+            start_order = update_actions.apps.start_sort(self.dependency_manager, self.logger)
             for app_name in start_order:
                 if isinstance((cfg := self.app_config.root[app_name]), AppConfig):
                     rel_path = self.app_rel_path(app_name)
diff --git a/appdaemon/dependency.py b/appdaemon/dependency.py
index d3bc86661..ac53bf70e 100644
--- a/appdaemon/dependency.py
+++ b/appdaemon/dependency.py
@@ -233,6 +233,7 @@ def visit(node: str):
         if node not in visited:
             visit(node)
             if cycle_detected:
-                raise CircularDependency(f"Visited {visited} already and was going visit {node} again")
+                deps = graph[node]
+                raise CircularDependency(f"Visited {visited} already, but {node} depends on {deps}")
 
     return stack
diff --git a/appdaemon/models/internal/app_management.py b/appdaemon/models/internal/app_management.py
index b901e4b2c..823910a86 100644
--- a/appdaemon/models/internal/app_management.py
+++ b/appdaemon/models/internal/app_management.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from logging import Logger
 import uuid
 from copy import copy, deepcopy
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@
 from ...dependency_manager import DependencyManager
 
 
+
 class UpdateMode(Enum):
     """Used as an argument for :meth:`AppManagement.check_app_updates` to set the mode of the check.
 
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ def import_sort(self, dm: DependencyManager) -> list[str]:
         order = [n for n in topo_sort(dm.python_deps.dep_graph) if n in items]
         return order
 
-    def start_sort(self, dm: DependencyManager) -> list[str]:
+    def start_sort(self, dm: DependencyManager, logger: Logger = None) -> list[str]:
         """Finds the apps that need to be started.
 
         Uses a dependency graph to sort the internal ``init`` and ``reload`` sets together
@@ -83,7 +85,14 @@ def start_sort(self, dm: DependencyManager) -> list[str]:
 
         dep_graph = deepcopy(dm.app_deps.dep_graph)
         for app, deps in dep_graph.items():
-            deps |= priority_deps.get(app, set())
+            # need to make sure the app isn't in it's own dependencies
+            for dep in priority_deps.get(app, set()):
+                sub_deps = find_all_dependents({app}, dm.app_deps.rev_graph)
+                if dep in sub_deps:
+                    if logger is not None:
+                        logger.warning(f'Applying priority will cause a circular dependency: {app} -> {dep}')
+                else:
+                    deps.add(dep)
 
         order = [n for n in topo_sort(dep_graph) if n in items]
         return order