fix(ci): stop setup-workspace citing the removed validate-tests-merge job

[bitfathers94]

What

.github/actions/setup-workspace/action.yml's header comment and its save-cache input
description both cited a validate-tests-merge job that no longer exists — it was folded into
validate-tests during the 2026-07-24 CI unsharding consolidation (see ci.yml:958: "the separate
validate-tests-merge job now just... runs here").

Choice made and why

Kept the save-cache input and rewrote its stale documentation (rather than deleting it). The
input is a genuine general-purpose escape hatch: a future read-only cache-consumer job would set
save-cache: "false" to avoid a redundant save. Keeping it preserves that capability, and a
comments-only edit carries zero runtime risk to a load-bearing shared action.

• Header comment: now says the sequence was extracted from validate-code and validate-tests
  (the two current callers), dropping the removed third job.
• save-cache description: now describes its real current purpose — a default-"true" escape hatch
  for a read-only consumer — and notes no live caller overrides the default.

Caller safety (grep-confirmed)

save-cache is referenced only inside action.yml itself:

$ grep -rn "save-cache" .github/
.github/actions/setup-workspace/action.yml:14:  save-cache:
.github/actions/setup-workspace/action.yml:79:      if: ${{ inputs.save-cache == 'true' && ... }}

None of the 5 current callers (ci.yml ×2, orb-stable-release-pr.yml, package-release-watch.yml,
orb-beta-release.yml, mcp-release-watch.yml) pass save-cache, so all keep the "true" default.
The input's runtime (line 79) is untouched — behavior is identical for every caller.

Test coverage

CI-configuration/documentation-only change with no application-code behavioral change; per the issue,
the verification is the grep-based caller check above. YAML parses and prettier --check passes.

Closes #8693

[superagent-security]

Superagent didn't find any vulnerabilities or security issues in this PR.

[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 92.22%. Comparing base (c81e7e8) to head (7a142a8).
⚠️ Report is 9 commits behind head on main.

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##             main    #8702      +/-   ##
==========================================
- Coverage   93.77%   92.22%   -1.56%     
==========================================
  Files         797      797              
  Lines       79467    79467              
  Branches    24071    24071              
==========================================
- Hits        74517    73285    -1232     
- Misses       3565     5099    +1534     
+ Partials     1385     1083     -302     

Flag	Coverage Δ
backend	92.87% <ø> (-2.17%)	⬇️

Flags with carried forward coverage won't be shown. Click here to find out more.
see 3 files with indirect coverage changes

[loopover-orb]

Warning

⏸️ LoopOver review result - manual review recommended

_{Review updated: 2026-07-26 00:08:46 UTC}

1 file · 1 AI reviewer · no blockers · CI green · clean

⏸️ Suggested Action - Manual Review

• Touches a guarded path — held for manual review: This PR changes guardrail-protected path(s): .github/actions/setup-workspace/action.yml (matched .github/actions/**).

Review summary
This is a comments-only fix to `.github/actions/setup-workspace/action.yml` that removes stale references to the now-removed `validate-tests-merge` job from the top-level description and the `save-cache` input description, replacing them with accurate documentation of current callers and the input's real purpose as a general-purpose escape hatch. No runtime logic (steps, conditionals, keys) is touched, and the PR's own grep confirms none of the 5 current callers pass `save-cache`, so behavior is unchanged. This is a low-risk, well-scoped documentation fix that closes issue #8693 as claimed.

Nits — 3 non-blocking

• The updated `save-cache` description claims it's a 'general-purpose escape hatch' for a hypothetical future read-only consumer, which is speculative framing for documentation rather than a description of an existing use — consider noting explicitly that it is currently unused by any caller to avoid confusion for a future reader trying to find who sets it to false.
• Consider a short follow-up comment or TODO near the input if there's a concrete near-term job planned to use `save-cache: false`, otherwise the 'escape hatch' framing may itself go stale again.
• Touches a guarded path — held for manual review — A maintainer must review and merge this change.

Decision drivers

• ✅ Code review — No blockers (1 reviewer)
• ⚠️ Gate result — Not blocking (Advisory; not blocking this PR.)

Context & advisory signals — never blocks the verdict

Signal	Result	Evidence
Linked issue	✅ Linked	#8693
Related work	✅ No active overlap found	No same-issue or scoped active PR overlap found.
Change scope	✅ 20/20	Low review scope from cached public metadata (1 linked issue).
Validation posture	✅ 25/25	PR body includes validation/test evidence.
Contributor workload	✅ 10/10	Author activity: 40 registered-repo PR(s), 25 merged, 0 issue(s).
Contributor context	✅ Confirmed Gittensor contributor	bitfathers94; Gittensor profile; 40 PR(s), 0 issue(s).
Improvement	ℹ️ Insufficient signal	risk: clean · value: insufficient-signal

Linked issue satisfaction

Addressed
The PR rewrites both the action.yml header comment and the save-cache input description to remove all references to the removed validate-tests-merge job, explicitly states the choice (keep and update rather than delete) with rationale, and includes the grep confirming none of the 5 callers pass save-cache.

Review context

• Author: bitfathers94
• Role context: outside_contributor
• Public audience mode: oss maintainer
• Lane context: Repository is configured for direct PR review.
• Public profile languages: TypeScript
• Official Gittensor activity: 40 PR(s), 0 issue(s).
• PR-specific overlap: none found.

Contributor next steps

• Keep the PR focused and include validation evidence before maintainer review.

Signal definitions

• Related work = same linked issue, overlapping active PRs, or title/path similarity.
• Change scope = cached public metadata such as size labels, draft state, and review-burden hints.
• Validation posture = whether the PR provides enough public validation/test evidence for maintainer review.
• Contributor workload = public contributor activity and cleanup pressure, not a repo-wide quality failure.
• Contributor context = public GitHub/Gittensor identity context; non-Gittensor status is not a blocker.

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_{🟩 Safe / merged · 🟦 Advisory · 🟨 Held for review · 🟥 Blocked / closed}

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