diff --git a/docs/manifest-format.txt b/docs/manifest-format.txt
index c76df801..21f19db6 100644
--- a/docs/manifest-format.txt
+++ b/docs/manifest-format.txt
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ following DTD:
     <!ELEMENT default (EMPTY)>
     <!ATTLIST default remote   IDREF #IMPLIED>
     <!ATTLIST default revision CDATA #IMPLIED>
+    <!ATTLIST default sync-j   CDATA #IMPLIED>
 
     <!ELEMENT manifest-server (EMPTY)>
     <!ATTLIST url              CDATA #REQUIRED>
diff --git a/manifest_xml.py b/manifest_xml.py
index 0e6421f1..a0252057 100644
--- a/manifest_xml.py
+++ b/manifest_xml.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ class _Default(object):
 
   revisionExpr = None
   remote = None
+  sync_j = 1
 
 class _XmlRemote(object):
   def __init__(self,
@@ -133,6 +134,9 @@ class XmlManifest(object):
     if d.revisionExpr:
       have_default = True
       e.setAttribute('revision', d.revisionExpr)
+    if d.sync_j > 1:
+      have_default = True
+      e.setAttribute('sync-j', '%d' % d.sync_j)
     if have_default:
       root.appendChild(e)
       root.appendChild(doc.createTextNode(''))
@@ -401,6 +405,11 @@ class XmlManifest(object):
     d.revisionExpr = node.getAttribute('revision')
     if d.revisionExpr == '':
       d.revisionExpr = None
+    sync_j = node.getAttribute('sync-j')
+    if sync_j == '' or sync_j is None:
+      d.sync_j = 1
+    else:
+      d.sync_j = int(sync_j)
     return d
 
   def _ParseNotice(self, node):
diff --git a/subcmds/sync.py b/subcmds/sync.py
index 93010c51..7ab0b1fb 100644
--- a/subcmds/sync.py
+++ b/subcmds/sync.py
@@ -117,6 +117,8 @@ later is required to fix a server side protocol bug.
 """
 
   def _Options(self, p, show_smart=True):
+    self.jobs = self.manifest.default.sync_j
+
     p.add_option('-f', '--force-broken',
                  dest='force_broken', action='store_true',
                  help="continue sync even if a project fails to sync")
@@ -134,7 +136,8 @@ later is required to fix a server side protocol bug.
                  help='be more quiet')
     p.add_option('-j','--jobs',
                  dest='jobs', action='store', type='int',
-                 help="number of projects to fetch simultaneously")
+                 default=self.jobs,
+                 help="projects to fetch simultaneously (default %d)" % self.jobs)
     if show_smart:
       p.add_option('-s', '--smart-sync',
                    dest='smart_sync', action='store_true',