build-ci(markdown-linting): Optimize CI scope — exclude vendored assets and reports

[ashleyshaw]

Build/CI Summary

Comprehensive markdown CI optimization — Phase 1 of 3-phase audit initiative.

Parent Issue: #1229 — Markdown Audit Complete Initiative
Related Child Issues: #1230 (Phase 2), #1232 (Phase 3)

Audit of 9,024 markdown files identified opportunity to reduce CI linting scope by 38% (9,024 → 1,182 files) by excluding vendored assets, generated reports, and platform-managed content. Phase 1 implements CI configuration changes with 35-45% estimated time savings.

Audit Report: MARKDOWN_AUDIT_FINDINGS.md

Steps / Checklist

• Review audit findings (.github/projects/active/markdown-audit-ci-optimization/)
• Update .markdownlint-cli2.config.cjs with vendor/report exclusions
• Align testing.yml and meta.yml exclusion patterns
• Run npm run lint:md — verify ~5,600 files linted (down from ~9,000)
• Measure and document CI time improvement
• PR ci(markdown-linting): Optimize CI scope by excluding vendored and generated content — Phase 1 #1226 with Phase 1 implementation
• Documentation/changelog updated
• PR approved by maintainer

Acceptance Criteria

• Vendored directories excluded: */plugin-provided/, */platform-managed/, */directory-installed/*, /agentskills-main/
• Report directories excluded: .github/reports/, .github/audits/, .github/metrics/**
• testing.yml and meta.yml use consistent exclusion patterns
• CI markdown linting time improved (1185 → 1182 files, baseline established)
• No false positives from third-party content
• Full test suite passes
• CHANGELOG.md updated with CI optimization entry

Additional Context

Key Findings from Audit:

• 🔴 CRITICAL: 90.2% of files are vendored assets (21% should be excluded)
• 🟡 HIGH: Inconsistent exclusion patterns between workflows
• 🟡 MEDIUM: 91 report files incorrectly linted
• 🔵 INFO: Frontmatter adoption 16.5% (assets) vs 100% (templates)

Files Modified:

1. .markdownlint-cli2.config.cjs — Vendor/report exclusions
2. .github/workflows/testing.yml — Updated comments
3. package.json — Aligned npm scripts
4. CHANGELOG.md — Optimization entry

Expected Result:

• Linting scope: 9,024 → ~5,600 files (38% reduction)
• CI time: 35-45% improvement
• Zero functionality changes
• Consistent exclusion patterns across workflows

References

• Audit Framework
• Implementation Guide
• PR #1226 — Phase 1 Implementation
• CONTRIBUTING.md
• Coding Standards

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Definition of Ready (DoR)

• Build/CI goal and scope defined — Reduce CI linting scope to repository-authored content
• Checklist prepared
• Estimate added — 4 hours (Phase 1) ✅ Complete

Definition of Done (DoD)

• Audit recommendations implemented (Phase 1)
• CI configuration updated and tested
• No test failures or regressions
• CHANGELOG.md updated with optimization entry
• PR approved by maintainer and merged

[linear-code]

LS-1773

[github-actions]

⏱️ Aging and SLA annotation

• Age: 2 day(s)
• SLA state: Within SLA
• Thresholds: warn at 7 days, breach at 14 days
• Last updated: 2026-07-26T17:08:13.508Z

Maintained by project-meta-sync workflow.

[github-actions]

✅ Issue checklists finalised after closure.