ci: skip changelog-only workflow runs (#83215)

galiniliev · web-flow · commit bc4f27c89a3c · 2026-05-17T19:29:45.000-07:00
Summary
Problem: root CHANGELOG.md updates currently cause broad pull request and push workflow activity, including CI and workflow sanity fanout, even though changelog-only edits do not touch product, runtime, docs site, or workflow logic.
Why it matters: the PR workflow (review, prepare, and land) can add or adjust CHANGELOG.md entries while processing otherwise-ready PRs. Those changelog-only updates retrigger gates, delay landing, and create avoidable contention when several PRs are being landed close together.
What changed: CI now ignores pull requests whose only changed path is CHANGELOG.md; Workflow Sanity ignores changelog-only pull requests and main-branch pushes; Docs keeps its markdown/docs trigger but excludes root CHANGELOG.md from the push path set.
What did NOT change (scope boundary): metadata-only automation such as labelers, auto-response, real behavior proof, or external GitHub apps can still run on PR events because those workflows are event-driven rather than file-scope CI. Other markdown files, docs files, and workflow files still trigger their existing checks.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ on:
       - "docs/**"
   pull_request:
     types: [opened, reopened, synchronize, ready_for_review, converted_to_draft]
+    paths-ignore:
+      - "CHANGELOG.md"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yml b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ on:
     paths:
       - "**/*.md"
       - "docs/**"
+      - "!CHANGELOG.md"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
diff --git a/.github/workflows/workflow-sanity.yml b/.github/workflows/workflow-sanity.yml
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@ name: Workflow Sanity
 
 on:
   pull_request:
+    paths-ignore:
+      - "CHANGELOG.md"
   push:
     branches: [main]
+    paths-ignore:
+      - "CHANGELOG.md"
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
