ci: skip backend unit tests on ui-only PRs without stranding required checks

.github/actions/detect-backend-changes/action.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+name: "Detect backend-relevant changes"
+description: >-
+  Classify the pull request's changed files with .circleci/scripts/classify_changes.sh
+  and expose decision=run|skip. decision=skip means only ui/**, **.md or **.mdx files
+  changed, so callers can short-circuit expensive steps while the job still completes
+  successfully and satisfies its required status check. The decision defaults to run for
+  any non pull_request event or whenever the changed set cannot be resolved, so tests are
+  never skipped when the classification is uncertain.
+
+outputs:
+  decision:
+    description: "run when backend-relevant files changed, otherwise skip"
+    value: ${{ steps.classify.outputs.decision }}
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - id: classify
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        BASE_SHA: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
+      run: |
+        set -uo pipefail
+        if [ -z "${BASE_SHA:-}" ]; then
+          echo "detect-backend-changes: not a pull_request event; running job"
+          echo "decision=run" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+          exit 0
+        fi
+        if ! git fetch --no-tags --depth=1 origin "${BASE_SHA}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          echo "detect-backend-changes: could not fetch base ${BASE_SHA}; running job"
+          echo "decision=run" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+          exit 0
+        fi
+        changed="$(git diff --name-only "${BASE_SHA}" HEAD 2>/dev/null)" || {
+          echo "detect-backend-changes: git diff failed; running job"
+          echo "decision=run" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+          exit 0
+        }
+        if [ -z "${changed}" ]; then
+          echo "detect-backend-changes: no changed files vs ${BASE_SHA}; skipping job"
+          echo "decision=skip" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+          exit 0
+        fi
+        echo "detect-backend-changes: changed files vs ${BASE_SHA}:"
+        printf '%s\n' "${changed}" | sed 's/^/  /'
+        decision="$(printf '%s\n' "${changed}" | bash .circleci/scripts/classify_changes.sh backend)" || decision="run"
+        echo "detect-backend-changes: decision=${decision}"
+        echo "decision=${decision}" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"

.github/workflows/_test-unit-base.yml

@@ -45,12 +45,18 @@ jobs:
     name: Run tests
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: ${{ inputs.timeout-minutes }}
+    outputs:
+      decision: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.decision }}
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@08eba0b27e820071cde6df949e0beb9ba4906955 # v4.3.0
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Detect backend-relevant changes
+        id: changes
+        uses: ./.github/actions/detect-backend-changes
+
       - name: Set up Python
         uses: actions/setup-python@a26af69be951a213d495a4c3e4e4022e16d87065 # v5.6.0
         with:
@@ -72,16 +78,19 @@ jobs:
             ${{ runner.os }}-uv-
 
       - name: Install dependencies
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         run: |
           .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group ci --group proxy-dev --extra google --extra proxy --extra semantic-router
 
       - name: Generate Prisma client
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         env:
           PRISMA_BINARY_CACHE_DIR: ${{ runner.temp }}/prisma-cache
         run: |
           uv run --no-sync prisma generate --schema litellm/proxy/schema.prisma
 
       - name: Run tests
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         env:
           TEST_PATH: ${{ inputs.test-path }}
           MAX_FAILURES: ${{ inputs.max-failures }}
@@ -114,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Save coverage report
-        if: always()
+        if: always() && steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@4cec3d8aa04e39d1a68397de0c4cd6fb9dce8ec1 # v4.6.1
         with:
           name: coverage-${{ inputs.artifact-name }}-${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_attempt }}
@@ -124,7 +133,7 @@ jobs:
   upload-coverage:
     name: Upload coverage to Codecov
     needs: run
-    if: always()
+    if: always() && needs.run.outputs.decision != 'skip'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-core-utils.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-documentation.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -36,6 +32,10 @@ jobs:
           path: docs/my-website
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Detect backend-relevant changes
+        id: changes
+        uses: ./.github/actions/detect-backend-changes
+
       - name: Set up Python
         uses: actions/setup-python@a26af69be951a213d495a4c3e4e4022e16d87065 # v5.6.0
         with:
@@ -57,17 +57,20 @@ jobs:
             ${{ runner.os }}-uv-
 
       - name: Install dependencies
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         run: |
           .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group ci --group proxy-dev --extra google --extra proxy --extra semantic-router
 
       - name: Generate Prisma client
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         env:
           PRISMA_BINARY_CACHE_DIR: ${{ runner.temp }}/prisma-cache
         run: |
           uv run --no-sync prisma generate --schema litellm/proxy/schema.prisma
 
       # Run the same documentation tests that CircleCI ran (as direct Python scripts)
       - name: Run documentation validation tests
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         run: |
           uv run --no-sync python ./tests/documentation_tests/test_env_keys.py
           uv run --no-sync python ./tests/documentation_tests/test_router_settings.py

.github/workflows/test-unit-enterprise-routing.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-integrations.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-llm-providers.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-misc.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-auth.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-db.yml

@@ -5,10 +5,6 @@ on:
     branches:
       - main
       - litellm_internal_staging
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-endpoints.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:

.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-infra.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-legacy.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -53,6 +49,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Detect backend-relevant changes
+        id: changes
+        uses: ./.github/actions/detect-backend-changes
+
       - name: Set up Python
         uses: actions/setup-python@a26af69be951a213d495a4c3e4e4022e16d87065 # v5.6.0
         with:
@@ -74,16 +74,19 @@ jobs:
             ${{ runner.os }}-uv-
 
       - name: Install dependencies
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         run: |
           .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group ci --group proxy-dev --extra google --extra proxy --extra semantic-router
 
       - name: Generate Prisma client
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         env:
           PRISMA_BINARY_CACHE_DIR: ${{ runner.temp }}/prisma-cache
         run: |
           uv run --no-sync prisma generate --schema litellm/proxy/schema.prisma
 
       - name: Run tests - ${{ matrix.test-group.name }}
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         env:
           TEST_PATH: ${{ matrix.test-group.path }}
         run: |

.github/workflows/test-unit-responses-caching-types.yml

@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
       - litellm_internal_staging
       - litellm_oss_staging
       - "litellm_**"
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "ui/**"
-      - "**.md"
-      - "**.mdx"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read