PR builds on the groundwork established in #2812, refining the transition to Path objects across the codebase. The previous implementation left some inconsistencies where Path objects were converted to str and later transformed back into Path, disrupting continuity. These unnecessary conversions have now been eliminated, ensuring that Path is consistently passed to various methods.

The remaining task is to address the fetch function (prepare.py), which must be updated to both accept and return Path objects. However, modifying fetch will require changes to files that are already affected by pending PRs, making it a separate step in this ongoing effort. This update furthers the overall goal of full Path integration.