In one example, a network management system (NMS) device manages a plurality of network devices. The NMS device includes one or more interfaces to communicatively couple the NMS device to the plurality of network devices, and a processor, implemented using circuitry, configured to determine that a low-level configuration of a first network device of the plurality of network devices has been changed by an out-of-band (OOB) change, translate the OOB change to a high-level configuration change, determine whether to apply the high-level configuration change to the plurality of network devices, and in response to determining to apply the high-level configuration change to the plurality of network devices, apply, via the one or more interfaces, the OOB change to low-level configurations of the plurality of network devices.