From bb3a7015119db926bc44ac928866963d15839718 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:18:14 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 1/9] Added lychee config files

---
 .github/lychee.toml                  | 84 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 34 +++++++++++
 .gitignore                           |  1 +
 .lycheeignore                        | 32 +++++++++++
 4 files changed, 151 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 .github/lychee.toml
 create mode 100644 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
 create mode 100644 .lycheeignore

diff --git a/.github/lychee.toml b/.github/lychee.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4962f3ab5f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/lychee.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# .github/lychee.toml
+
+############################# Display #############################
+# Verbose program output
+# Accepts log level: "error", "warn", "info", "debug", "trace"
+verbose = "info"
+
+# Don't show interactive progress bar while checking links.
+no_progress = false
+
+############################# Cache ###############################
+# Enable link caching. This can be helpful to avoid checking the same links on
+# multiple runs.
+cache = true
+
+# Discard all cached requests older than this duration.
+max_cache_age = "1d"
+
+############################# Runtime #############################
+# Maximum number of concurrent link checks.
+max_concurrency = 12
+
+# Maximum number of allowed redirects.
+max_redirects = 10
+
+# Maximum number of allowed retries before a link is declared dead.
+max_retries = 5
+
+############################# Requests ############################
+# Website timeout from connect to response finished.
+timeout = 60
+
+# Minimum wait time in seconds between retries of failed requests.
+retry_wait_time = 3
+
+# Accept more status codes (follow redirects automatically)
+accept = ["200..=204", "301..=308", "429"]
+
+# Avoid false fragment errors
+include_fragments = false  
+
+# Only test links with the given schemes (e.g. https).
+# Omit to check links with any other scheme.
+# At the moment, we support http, https, file, and mailto.
+scheme = ["https"]
+
+# When links are available using HTTPS, treat HTTP links as errors.
+require_https = false
+
+# Fallback extensions to apply when a URL does not specify one.
+# This is common in documentation tools that cross-reference files without extensions.
+fallback_extensions = ["md", "html"]
+
+############################# Exclusions ##########################
+# Check links inside `<code>` and `<pre>` blocks as well as Markdown code
+# blocks.
+include_verbatim = false
+
+# Ignore case of paths when matching glob patterns.
+glob_ignore_case = false
+
+# Exclude URLs and mail addresses from checking (supports regex).
+exclude = [
+  '^mailto:',
+  '^https?://localhost',
+  '^https?://127\\.0\\.0\\.1',
+  '^https://www\.linkedin\.com',
+  '^https?://web\\.archive\\.org/web/'
+]
+
+# Exclude these filesystem paths from getting checked.
+exclude_path = [
+  '(^|/)node_modules/',
+  '(^|/)dist/',
+  '(^|/)bin/',
+  '\\.txt$',      # skip .txt extensions
+  '(^|/)test/'   # skip directories named "test"
+]
+
+# URLs to check (supports regex). Has preference over all excludes.
+include = ['gist\.github\.com.*']
+
+# Skip checking mail addresses
+include_mail = true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9fcad182341
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: Check Links In Pull Requests
+
+on: [pull_request]
+
+jobs:
+  check-links:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+    # Step 1: Checkout the repo
+      - name: Checkout GitHub repo
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    # Step 2: Run Lychee to check links
+      - name: Run Lychee link checker
+        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
+        with:
+          args: |
+            --no-progress
+            --include-fragments
+
+    # Step 3: Provide a helpful message if the check fails
+      - name: Helpful failure message
+        if: ${{ failure() }}
+        run: |
+          echo "::error::Link check failed! Please review the broken links reported above."
+          echo ""
+          echo "If certain links are valid but fail due to:"
+          echo "- CAPTCHA challenges"
+          echo "- IP blocking"
+          echo "- Authentication requirements"
+          echo "- Rate limiting"
+          echo ""
+          echo "Consider adding them to .lycheeignore to bypass future checks."
+          echo "Format: Add one URL pattern per line"
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 655ba93439d..946cb65a602 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,3 +4,4 @@
 *.orig
 .vscode
 .idea
+.lycheecache
diff --git a/.lycheeignore b/.lycheeignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ecec8ea905e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.lycheeignore
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# These links are ignored by lychee link checker: https://github.com/lycheeverse/lychee
+# The file allows you to list multiple regular expressions for exclusion (one pattern per line).
+# The `.lycheeignore` file is only used for excluding URLs, not paths. Use the `exclude_path` key in the `lychee.toml` file. ref: https://lychee.cli.rs/recipes/excluding-paths/
+
+# GitHub blob/tree fragment links
+^https://github\.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS/blob/.*/.*#L.*
+^https://github\.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS/tree/.*
+^https://github\.com/Shazwazza/Articulate/blob/.*/.*#L.*
+^https://github\.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS/blob/.*
+
+# Anchor/fragment links causing false positives
+^https://docs\.umbraco\.com/.*/#.*
+^https://apidocs\.umbraco\.com/.*/#.*
+^https://tinymce\.github\.io/.*/#.*
+^https://openid\.net/.*/#.*
+^https://docs\.microsoft\.com/.*#.*
+^https://learn\.microsoft\.com/.*#.*
+^https://developer\.mozilla\.org/.*/#.*
+^https://learning\.postman\.com/docs/.*/#.*
+^https://nginx\.org/.*/#.*
+^https://azure\.microsoft\.com/en-gb/services/media-services/.*
+^https://www\.tiny\.cloud/docs/.*
+
+# TinyMCE anchors
+^https://github\.com/tinymce/tinymce/issues/.*#.*
+
+# NIST FIPS and other static docs
+^https://csrc\.nist\.gov/publications/PubsFIPS\.html#.*
+
+# Timeout-prone Umbraco issue links
+^https://issues\.umbraco\.org/issue/.*
+^https://issues\.umbraco\.org/issues/.*

From 76694aae7b73e1d92559b25207f17002802d9d42 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:39:08 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 2/9] Fix broken links

---
 16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md              | 2 +-
 .../upgrading/version-specific/upgrade-from-8-to-latest.md      | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md b/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md
index 7b78737f58a..65dabbd64fb 100644
--- a/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md
+++ b/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ description: >-
 
 ## Umbraco Cloud
 
-When you are running your site on Umbraco Cloud, source control is a part of the experience. Have a look at the ['Technical overview of an Umbraco Cloud Environment'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/getting-started/environments) and the information on ['Working with your Umbraco Cloud project'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/setup/set-up#working-with-your-umbraco-cloud-project) for a steer on Source/Version Control good practices.
+When you are running your site on Umbraco Cloud, source control is a part of the experience. Have a look at the ['Technical overview of an Umbraco Cloud Environment'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/getting-started/environments) and the information on ['Working with a Local Clone'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/build-and-customize-your-solution/handle-deployments-and-environments/working-locally) for a steer on Source/Version Control good practices.
 
 ## Outside of Umbraco Cloud
 
diff --git a/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/setup/upgrading/version-specific/upgrade-from-8-to-latest.md b/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/setup/upgrading/version-specific/upgrade-from-8-to-latest.md
index 8da11efdc80..49da82b82c6 100644
--- a/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/setup/upgrading/version-specific/upgrade-from-8-to-latest.md
+++ b/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/setup/upgrading/version-specific/upgrade-from-8-to-latest.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ A video tutorial guiding you through the steps of upgrading from version 8 to th
 If you use Umbraco Forms, make sure to have [`StoreUmbracoFormsInDbset`](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-forms/developer/forms-in-the-database#enable-storing-forms-definitions-in-the-database)to `True` before **step 1**.
 {% endhint %}
 
-1. Create a backup of the database from your Umbraco 8 project (after you have upgraded to the latest version of v8). For this, you can use the [database backup guide](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/databases/backups#backup-with-sql-server-management-studio).
+1. Create a backup of the database from your Umbraco 8 project (after you have upgraded to the latest version of v8). For this, you can use the [Database backups Guide](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/build-and-customize-your-solution/set-up-your-project/databases/backups#restoring-a-cloud-backup-to-a-sql-server-database).
 2. Import the database backup into SQL Server Management Studio.
 3. Update the connection string in the new projects `appsettings.json` file so that it connects to the Umbraco 8 database:
 

From e9d1667184d4c6cc56c1179fc5b78e2e9892a258 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <82437098+eshanrnh@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:45:01 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 3/9] Update 16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md

---
 16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md b/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md
index 65dabbd64fb..2da8a96152a 100644
--- a/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md
+++ b/16/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/code/source-control.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ description: >-
 
 ## Umbraco Cloud
 
-When you are running your site on Umbraco Cloud, source control is a part of the experience. Have a look at the ['Technical overview of an Umbraco Cloud Environment'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/getting-started/environments) and the information on ['Working with a Local Clone'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/build-and-customize-your-solution/handle-deployments-and-environments/working-locally) for a steer on Source/Version Control good practices.
+When you are running your site on Umbraco Cloud, source control is a part of the experience. Have a look at the ['Technical overview of an Umbraco Cloud Environment'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/getting-started/environments). Additionally, look at ['Working with a Local Clone'](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cloud/build-and-customize-your-solution/handle-deployments-and-environments/working-locally) for a steer on Source/Version Control good practices.
 
 ## Outside of Umbraco Cloud
 

From 3d75ce290e3c964063fc3f59a2dcaecfc445367a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:48:43 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 4/9] updated args

---
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 4 +---
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
index 9fcad182341..8a3615185d0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run Lychee link checker
         uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
         with:
-          args: |
-            --no-progress
-            --include-fragments
+          args: "--no-progress --include-fragments 16/**/*.md"
 
     # Step 3: Provide a helpful message if the check fails
       - name: Helpful failure message

From db2586d486244902c2b31f7150dfdd7cd6737dfd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:56:58 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 5/9] Updated config file from lychee docs

---
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 63 ++++++++++++++++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 54 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
index 8a3615185d0..88ed8481a7a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -1,24 +1,68 @@
 name: Check Links In Pull Requests
 
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+    # Optionally limit the check to certain file types
+    # paths:
+    #   - '**/*.md'
+    #   - '**/*.html'
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
   check-links:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    
     steps:
-    # Step 1: Checkout the repo
-      - name: Checkout GitHub repo
+      - name: Clone repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          ref: ${{github.event.pull_request.head.ref}}
+          repository: ${{github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name}}
+
+      - name: Check out base branch
+        run: git checkout ${{github.event.pull_request.base.ref}}
+
+      - name: Dump all links from ${{github.event.pull_request.base.ref}}
+        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
+        with:
+          args: |
+            --dump
+            --include-fragments
+            .
+          output: ./existing-links.txt
+        continue-on-error: true # Don't fail if base branch check has issues
+
+      - name: Stash untracked files
+        run: git stash push --include-untracked
+
+      - name: Check out feature branch
+        run: git checkout ${{ github.head_ref }}
+
+      - name: Apply stashed changes
+        run: git stash pop || true
+
+      - name: Update ignore file
+        run: |
+          if [ -f "existing-links.txt" ]; then
+            cat existing-links.txt >> .lycheeignore
+          fi
 
-    # Step 2: Run Lychee to check links
-      - name: Run Lychee link checker
+      - name: Check links
         uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
         with:
-          args: "--no-progress --include-fragments 16/**/*.md"
+          args: |
+            --no-progress
+            --include-fragments
+            .
 
-    # Step 3: Provide a helpful message if the check fails
-      - name: Helpful failure message
-        if: ${{ failure() }}
+      - name: Provide helpful failure message
+        if: failure()
         run: |
           echo "::error::Link check failed! Please review the broken links reported above."
           echo ""
@@ -30,3 +74,4 @@ jobs:
           echo ""
           echo "Consider adding them to .lycheeignore to bypass future checks."
           echo "Format: Add one URL pattern per line"
+          exit 1
\ No newline at end of file

From 10aad2e8c05feca8d854367f953287a849df791c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:04:25 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 6/9] Other try

---
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 75 +++-------------------------
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 68 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
index 88ed8481a7a..bf5a9c69ca9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -1,77 +1,16 @@
-name: Check Links In Pull Requests
+name: Check Links
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    branches:
-      - main
-    # Optionally limit the check to certain file types
-    # paths:
-    #   - '**/*.md'
-    #   - '**/*.html'
-
-concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: true
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
 
 jobs:
   check-links:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    
     steps:
-      - name: Clone repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
-          ref: ${{github.event.pull_request.head.ref}}
-          repository: ${{github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name}}
-
-      - name: Check out base branch
-        run: git checkout ${{github.event.pull_request.base.ref}}
-
-      - name: Dump all links from ${{github.event.pull_request.base.ref}}
-        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
+      - name: Comment Broken Links
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@v2
         with:
-          args: |
-            --dump
-            --include-fragments
-            .
-          output: ./existing-links.txt
-        continue-on-error: true # Don't fail if base branch check has issues
-
-      - name: Stash untracked files
-        run: git stash push --include-untracked
-
-      - name: Check out feature branch
-        run: git checkout ${{ github.head_ref }}
-
-      - name: Apply stashed changes
-        run: git stash pop || true
-
-      - name: Update ignore file
-        run: |
-          if [ -f "existing-links.txt" ]; then
-            cat existing-links.txt >> .lycheeignore
-          fi
-
-      - name: Check links
-        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
-        with:
-          args: |
-            --no-progress
-            --include-fragments
-            .
-
-      - name: Provide helpful failure message
-        if: failure()
-        run: |
-          echo "::error::Link check failed! Please review the broken links reported above."
-          echo ""
-          echo "If certain links are valid but fail due to:"
-          echo "- CAPTCHA challenges"
-          echo "- IP blocking"
-          echo "- Authentication requirements"
-          echo "- Rate limiting"
-          echo ""
-          echo "Consider adding them to .lycheeignore to bypass future checks."
-          echo "Format: Add one URL pattern per line"
-          exit 1
\ No newline at end of file
+          path: lychee/out.md
\ No newline at end of file

From 99cd3f112467039140a1a7c6fff1af85f16a4bd9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:08:05 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 7/9] Updated GitHub actions to run only on changed markdown
 files

---
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 73 +++++++++++++++++++++++++---
 1 file changed, 66 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
index bf5a9c69ca9..6eb7bb4b4e3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -1,16 +1,75 @@
-name: Check Links
+name: Check Links In Pull Requests
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
+    branches:
+      - main
+    paths:
+      - '**/*.md'   # Only trigger workflow if any Markdown files change
 
 jobs:
   check-links:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
-      - name: Comment Broken Links
-        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@v2
+      # Step 1: Checkout the repository
+      - name: Checkout GitHub repo
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          path: lychee/out.md
\ No newline at end of file
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      # Step 2: Check out base branch and dump all links (no fragments)
+      - name: Check out base branch
+        run: git checkout ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
+
+      - name: Dump all links from base branch (no fragments)
+        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
+        with:
+          args: "--dump ."
+          output: ./existing-links.txt
+        continue-on-error: true
+
+      # Step 3: Stash untracked files and switch back to feature branch
+      - name: Stash untracked files
+        run: git stash push --include-untracked
+
+      - name: Check out feature branch
+        run: git checkout ${{ github.head_ref }}
+
+      - name: Apply stashed changes
+        run: git stash pop || true
+
+      # Step 4: Add base branch links to .lycheeignore
+      - name: Update ignore file
+        run: |
+          if [ -f "existing-links.txt" ]; then
+            cat existing-links.txt >> .lycheeignore
+          fi
+
+      # Step 5: Get changed Markdown files in the PR
+      - name: Get changed Markdown files
+        id: changed-files
+        run: |
+          files=$(git diff --name-only origin/${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }} ${{ github.head_ref }} | grep '\.md$' || true)
+          echo "changed_files=$files" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      # Step 6: Run Lychee on changed files only (with fragments)
+      - name: Run Lychee link checker
+        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
+        with:
+          args: "--no-progress --include-fragments ${{ env.changed_files }}"
+
+      # Step 7: Provide a helpful failure message
+      - name: Helpful failure message
+        if: ${{ failure() }}
+        run: |
+          echo "::error::Link check failed! Please review the broken links reported above."
+          echo ""
+          echo "If certain links are valid but fail due to:"
+          echo "- CAPTCHA challenges"
+          echo "- IP blocking"
+          echo "- Authentication requirements"
+          echo "- Rate limiting"
+          echo ""
+          echo "Consider adding them to .lycheeignore to bypass future checks."
+          echo "Format: Add one URL pattern per line"
+          exit 1

From c95f1b396cb79a81e5abda28cff2674e430c9770 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:13:59 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 8/9] Fixed filenames format

---
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
index 6eb7bb4b4e3..b12bd7820f0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -50,10 +50,12 @@ jobs:
         id: changed-files
         run: |
           files=$(git diff --name-only origin/${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }} ${{ github.head_ref }} | grep '\.md$' || true)
+          files=$(echo "$files" | tr '\n' ' ')
           echo "changed_files=$files" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       # Step 6: Run Lychee on changed files only (with fragments)
       - name: Run Lychee link checker
+        if: ${{ env.changed_files != '' }}
         uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
         with:
           args: "--no-progress --include-fragments ${{ env.changed_files }}"

From a891e8b7a0310f15da08dece53db756fc9bcfea7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Esha Noronha <enm@umbraco.dk>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:21:27 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 9/9] Updated to solves the regex explosion issue

---
 .github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml | 51 +++++++++++++++++-----------
 1 file changed, 32 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
index b12bd7820f0..87bfd313a78 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-links.yml
@@ -17,18 +17,38 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
-      # Step 2: Check out base branch and dump all links (no fragments)
+      # Step 2: Check out base branch
       - name: Check out base branch
         run: git checkout ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
 
-      - name: Dump all links from base branch (no fragments)
+      # Step 3: Get changed Markdown files
+      - name: Get changed Markdown files
+        id: changed-files
+        run: |
+          mapfile -t files_array < <(git diff --name-only origin/${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }} ${{ github.head_ref }} | grep '\.md$' || true)
+          files=""
+          for f in "${files_array[@]}"; do
+            files="$files \"$f\""
+          done
+          echo "changed_files=$files" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "Changed Markdown files: $files"
+
+      # Step 4: Skip workflow if no Markdown files changed
+      - name: Skip if no Markdown files changed
+        if: ${{ env.changed_files == '' }}
+        run: |
+          echo "No Markdown files changed in this PR. Skipping link check."
+          exit 0
+
+      # Step 5: Dump base branch links for changed files only (no fragments)
+      - name: Dump base branch links
         uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
         with:
-          args: "--dump ."
+          args: "--dump ${{ env.changed_files }}"
           output: ./existing-links.txt
         continue-on-error: true
 
-      # Step 3: Stash untracked files and switch back to feature branch
+      # Step 6: Stash untracked files and switch back to feature branch
       - name: Stash untracked files
         run: git stash push --include-untracked
 
@@ -38,29 +58,22 @@ jobs:
       - name: Apply stashed changes
         run: git stash pop || true
 
-      # Step 4: Add base branch links to .lycheeignore
+      # Step 7: Add base branch links to .lycheeignore
       - name: Update ignore file
         run: |
           if [ -f "existing-links.txt" ]; then
             cat existing-links.txt >> .lycheeignore
           fi
 
-      # Step 5: Get changed Markdown files in the PR
-      - name: Get changed Markdown files
-        id: changed-files
-        run: |
-          files=$(git diff --name-only origin/${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }} ${{ github.head_ref }} | grep '\.md$' || true)
-          files=$(echo "$files" | tr '\n' ' ')
-          echo "changed_files=$files" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      # Step 6: Run Lychee on changed files only (with fragments)
+      # Step 8: Run Lychee on changed files one by one
       - name: Run Lychee link checker
-        if: ${{ env.changed_files != '' }}
-        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
-        with:
-          args: "--no-progress --include-fragments ${{ env.changed_files }}"
+        run: |
+          for f in ${{ env.changed_files }}; do
+            echo "Checking links in $f"
+            lychee --no-progress --include-fragments "$f"
+          done
 
-      # Step 7: Provide a helpful failure message
+      # Step 9: Provide a helpful failure message
       - name: Helpful failure message
         if: ${{ failure() }}
         run: |