CI: migrate GitHub Actions off deprecated Node.js 20 runtime

[itsAnchorpoint]

GitHub Actions currently emits deprecation warnings about Node.js 20 for several actions used in CI/release workflows.

From recent release/build runs:

• actions/checkout@v4
• actions/setup-python@v5
• softprops/action-gh-release@v2

GitHub announced:

• Node.js 24 will be forced as default starting June 2, 2026
• Node.js 20 will be removed from runners on September 16, 2026

Why this matters

If we leave workflows unchanged, release/build jobs may become unstable or fail around the migration window.

Tasks

• Audit all actions in .github/workflows/*.yml for Node 24 compatibility
• Upgrade pinned action versions where needed
• Verify softprops/action-gh-release compatibility (or replace with an alternative release step)
• Run test workflows on main after upgrades
• Confirm Create Cross-Platform Release and Build Cross-Platform Distributions complete successfully without deprecation warnings

Acceptance criteria

• No Node 20 deprecation warnings in workflow logs
• Release and build workflows remain green across Windows/Linux/macOS

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Warning

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Plan

Observations

There are exactly two workflow files: file:.github/workflows/build.yml and file:.github/workflows/cross_platform_release.yml. The audit reveals the following Node 20-based action versions currently in use:

Action	Current version	File(s)
actions/checkout	@v3	build.yml
actions/checkout	@v4	cross_platform_release.yml
actions/setup-python	@v5	both files
softprops/action-gh-release	@v2 (floating tag)	cross_platform_release.yml

All three actions have Node 24-compatible releases available: actions/checkout@v5, actions/setup-python@v6, and softprops/action-gh-release@v2.6.1 (Node 24 runtime was introduced in v2.3.0).

Approach

Bump each action to its latest Node 24-compatible version in-place across both workflow files. No structural changes to the workflows are needed — this is a pure version-string substitution. Using pinned minor/patch tags (e.g. v2.6.1) rather than floating major tags (e.g. v2) gives reproducible, warning-free runs.

---

Implementation Steps

1. Update file:.github/workflows/build.yml

• Replace actions/checkout@v3 → actions/checkout@v5
• Replace actions/setup-python@v5 → actions/setup-python@v6

2. Update file:.github/workflows/cross_platform_release.yml

• Replace actions/checkout@v4 → actions/checkout@v5
• Replace actions/setup-python@v5 → actions/setup-python@v6
• Replace softprops/action-gh-release@v2 → softprops/action-gh-release@v2.6.1

Note on softprops/action-gh-release: The floating @v2 tag currently resolves to a pre-Node-24 commit. Node 24 support was introduced in v2.3.0 (June 2025). Pinning to v2.6.1 (the latest stable release as of March 2026) is the safest choice and eliminates the deprecation warning.

3. Version reference summary

Action	Old	New
actions/checkout	@v3 / @v4	@v5
actions/setup-python	@v5	@v6
softprops/action-gh-release	@v2	@v2.6.1

actions/checkout@v5 requires Actions Runner ≥ v2.327.1. GitHub-hosted runners (ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest) already meet this requirement, so no runner changes are needed.

Import In IDE

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

## Observations

There are exactly two workflow files: `file:.github/workflows/build.yml` and `file:.github/workflows/cross_platform_release.yml`. The audit reveals the following Node 20-based action versions currently in use:

| Action | Current version | File(s) |
|---|---|---|
| `actions/checkout` | `@v3` | `build.yml` |
| `actions/checkout` | `@v4` | `cross_platform_release.yml` |
| `actions/setup-python` | `@v5` | both files |
| `softprops/action-gh-release` | `@v2` (floating tag) | `cross_platform_release.yml` |

All three actions have Node 24-compatible releases available: `actions/checkout@v5`, `actions/setup-python@v6`, and `softprops/action-gh-release@v2.6.1` (Node 24 runtime was introduced in `v2.3.0`).

## Approach

Bump each action to its latest Node 24-compatible version in-place across both workflow files. No structural changes to the workflows are needed — this is a pure version-string substitution. Using pinned minor/patch tags (e.g. `v2.6.1`) rather than floating major tags (e.g. `v2`) gives reproducible, warning-free runs.

---

## Implementation Steps

### 1. Update `file:.github/workflows/build.yml`

- Replace `actions/checkout@v3` → `actions/checkout@v5`
- Replace `actions/setup-python@v5` → `actions/setup-python@v6`

### 2. Update `file:.github/workflows/cross_platform_release.yml`

- Replace `actions/checkout@v4` → `actions/checkout@v5`
- Replace `actions/setup-python@v5` → `actions/setup-python@v6`
- Replace `softprops/action-gh-release@v2` → `softprops/action-gh-release@v2.6.1`

> **Note on `softprops/action-gh-release`:** The floating `@v2` tag currently resolves to a pre-Node-24 commit. Node 24 support was introduced in `v2.3.0` (June 2025). Pinning to `v2.6.1` (the latest stable release as of March 2026) is the safest choice and eliminates the deprecation warning.

### 3. Version reference summary

| Action | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| `actions/checkout` | `@v3` / `@v4` | `@v5` |
| `actions/setup-python` | `@v5` | `@v6` |
| `softprops/action-gh-release` | `@v2` | `@v2.6.1` |

> `actions/checkout@v5` requires Actions Runner ≥ v2.327.1. GitHub-hosted runners (`ubuntu-latest`, `windows-latest`, `macos-latest`) already meet this requirement, so no runner changes are needed.

---

Execution Information

Branch: main
Commit: 1ca5099

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