ci: add GitHub Actions workflow for automated testing and staging deploy

[telster-ai-net]

_Summary

This pull request merges feature/github-actions → main and introduces a GitHub Actions workflow that automates testing, building, and deployment to the staging environment.

This change is designed to standardize CI/CD across contributions and reduce manual intervention during reviews and releases.

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What’s Changed

Added a GitHub Actions workflow triggered on pull_request and push to main

Automated:

Unit and integration test execution

Application build process

Deployment to staging on successful checks

Ensured consistent validation for all incoming contributions

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Why This Matters

For an open-source project, this improves:

Contributor experience – fast, automated feedback on PRs

Code quality – no untested code reaches main

Maintainer velocity – fewer manual checks, faster merges

Trust – reproducible and transparent CI behavior

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How It Was Tested

Workflow executed successfully on:

Pull requests from feature/github-actions

Push events to main

All jobs completed without errors

Staging deployment verified after successful runs

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Impact / Risk

Low risk: changes are additive and CI-scoped

No production deployment impact

Failures block merges rather than introducing instability

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Related Issues

N/A (infrastructure improvement)

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Checklist

[x] CI workflow passes on PR

[x] No breaking changes

[x] Improves contributor workflow

[x] Ready for maintainer review

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Reviewer Notes

Please review:

Workflow triggers and branch targeting

Test coverage adequacy

Deployment step safety and permissions_

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