A speech processing system uses contextual data to determine the specific domains, subdomains, and applications appropriate for taking action in response to spoken commands and other utterances. Some applications may be given priority over others such that some applications are general request applications to which responsibility for processing an intent is to be assigned as long as contextual criteria are satisfied, while other applications are specific request applications to which responsibility for processing an intent is to be assigned only if the applications are specifically requested, if the contextual criteria of priority applications are not satisfied, and/or if certain contextual criteria associated with the specific request applications are satisfied.