CI: introduce safe path filters for selective workflow execution

[Vaishnav88sk]

Problem

Some changes (such as docs or lightweight tooling updates) may not require the full set of runtime-heavy CI jobs.

Proposal

Add conservative path filters to CI workflows so that:

• Docs-only or clearly low-risk changes run a reduced validation set
• Runtime-related paths still trigger the full CI suite
• Maintainers retain a manual override option when needed

Include safeguards such as scheduled full runs to catch missed cases.

Acceptance criteria

• No reduction in CI coverage for core runtime paths
• Workflow documentation explains filter logic clearly
• Add a periodic full-run schedule or manual override trigger for safety

Contribution

I’d be happy to work on this issue and contribute a PR if this approach sounds good.