Optimize CI/CD workflow by adding smart build skipping for markdown-only changes

Author: jongalloway

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -19,8 +19,41 @@ env:
   CI: true
 
 jobs:
+  # Check if we should skip build for markdown-only changes
+  check-changes:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      should-skip: ${{ steps.skip-check.outputs.should-skip }}
+      paths-result: ${{ steps.skip-check.outputs.paths-result }}
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      with:
+        fetch-depth: 0
+
+    - name: Check for non-markdown changes
+      id: skip-check
+      uses: fkirc/skip-duplicate-actions@v5
+      with:
+        # Skip if only markdown files changed
+        paths_ignore: '["**/*.md", "doc/**", "**/README*", "**/CHANGELOG*", "**/LICENSE*"]'        # Don't skip on main branch or tags
+        skip_after_successful_duplicate: 'false'
+
+  # Simple job for markdown-only changes
+  markdown-check:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: check-changes
+    if: needs.check-changes.outputs.should-skip == 'true'
+    steps:
+    - name: Documentation changes only
+      run: |
+        echo "✅ Only documentation files were changed - skipping build"
+        echo "📝 Changes detected in markdown files only"
+
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: check-changes
+    if: needs.check-changes.outputs.should-skip != 'true'
 
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -89,11 +122,12 @@ jobs:
         name: build-artifacts-${{ matrix.configuration }}
         path: |
           src/NLWebNet/bin/Release/
-          demo/bin/Release/
-        retention-days: 7
+          demo/bin/Release/        retention-days: 7
+
   code-quality:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: build
+    needs: [check-changes, build]
+    if: needs.check-changes.outputs.should-skip != 'true'
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
@@ -115,9 +149,11 @@ jobs:
         
     - name: Check formatting
       run: dotnet format --verify-no-changes --verbosity diagnostic
+
   security-scan:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: build
+    needs: [check-changes, build]
+    if: needs.check-changes.outputs.should-skip != 'true'
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
@@ -138,12 +174,12 @@ jobs:
           echo "❌ Vulnerable packages found!"
           exit 1
         else
-          echo "✅ No vulnerable packages found."
-        fi
+          echo "✅ No vulnerable packages found."        fi
+
   package-validation:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: build
-    if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
+    needs: [check-changes, build]
+    if: needs.check-changes.outputs.should-skip != 'true' && github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code

doc/todo.md

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ The demo application is now fully functional with a modern .NET 9 Blazor Web App
 - ✅ **Testing Framework Migration**: Migrated from xUnit to MSTest 3.9.3 with code coverage support and .NET 9 compatibility
 - ✅ **Package Compatibility**: Ensured all dependencies are stable .NET 9 compatible versions (except ModelContextProtocol which is appropriately in preview)
 - ✅ **CI/CD Stability**: Fixed GitHub Actions workflow permissions, removed invalid parameters, and verified YAML formatting
+- ✅ **CI/CD Optimization**: Added smart build skipping for markdown-only changes to save CI/CD resources and time
 - ✅ **Production Ready**: All builds (Debug/Release) work correctly, demo app runs successfully at <http://localhost:5038>
 
 The project is now ready for Phase 4 (MCP Integration) with a solid foundation of tested, extensible business logic.