A controller device that manages a set of network devices, the controller device comprising: a memory comprising data for a configuration database including a set of stored network device configurations, wherein each stored network device configuration of the set of stored network device configurations corresponds to a network device of the set of network devices, and wherein the controller device is configured to push low-level configurations to the set of network devices, the low-level configurations being determined by the controller device translating high-level intent files received from an administrator, and the stored network device configurations comprise the low-level configurations pushed from the controller device to the respective network devices; and processing circuitry configured to: receive an intent file corresponding to an intended configuration for the set of network devices; receive a message from a network device of the set of network devices indicating an out-of-band configuration change at the network device, wherein the out-of-band configuration change is not dictated by a low-level configuration pushed by the controller device; generate one or more flagged XML Path Language, XPath, operations based on the intent file, wherein the one or more flagged XPath operations represent XPath operations to check for in out-of-band configuration changes; and determine, based on the out-of-band configuration change being associated with one or more of the flagged XPath operations, whether the intent file is compatible with the out-of-band configuration change. a memory comprising data for a configuration database including a set of stored network device configurations, wherein each stored network device configuration of the set of stored network device configurations corresponds to a network device of the set of network devices, and wherein the controller device is configured to push low-level configurations to the set of network devices, the low-level configurations being determined by the controller device translating high-level intent files received from an administrator, and the stored network device configurations comprise the low-level configurations pushed from the controller device to the respective network devices; and processing circuitry configured to: receive an intent file corresponding to an intended configuration for the set of network devices; receive a message from a network device of the set of network devices indicating an out-of-band configuration change at the network device, wherein the out-of-band configuration change is not dictated by a low-level configuration pushed by the controller device; generate one or more flagged XML Path Language, XPath, operations based on the intent file, wherein the one or more flagged XPath operations represent XPath operations to check for in out-of-band configuration changes; and determine, based on the out-of-band configuration change being associated with one or more of the flagged XPath operations, whether the intent file is compatible with the out-of-band configuration change. receive an intent file corresponding to an intended configuration for the set of network devices; receive a message from a network device of the set of network devices indicating an out-of-band configuration change at the network device, wherein the out-of-band configuration change is not dictated by a low-level configuration pushed by the controller device; generate one or more flagged XML Path Language, XPath, operations based on the intent file, wherein the one or more flagged XPath operations represent XPath operations to check for in out-of-band configuration changes; and determine, based on the out-of-band configuration change being associated with one or more of the flagged XPath operations, whether the intent file is compatible with the out-of-band configuration change.