[Code Quality] Add early Node.js runtime validation for self-hosted/GPU workflow runners

[github-actions]

Description

Recurring incidents show self-hosted and GPU workflow runners failing late with node: command not found or missing PATH entries. The failure happens deep in workflow execution, causing wasted credits and poor debugging experience.

Source

Extracted from Hippo Memory Insights 2026-07-22 — memory mem_e02072c9ae07, a recurring environment failure mode.

Suggested Changes

• Add an early setup/validation step for workflows that target self-hosted or GPU runners, checking that node is available and on PATH before the agent starts
• This could be implemented as a shared workflow snippet, a reusable composite action, or a compiler-emitted guard step when runs-on targets a self-hosted runner
• Fail fast with a clear, actionable error message rather than a cryptic mid-run failure

Files Affected

• .github/workflows/*.md — shared workflow templates targeting self-hosted/GPU runners
• pkg/workflow/template.go — if guard is compiler-emitted
• Or a new composite action in .github/actions/ for reuse

Success Criteria

• Workflows on self-hosted/GPU runners detect missing Node.js before the main agent step
• Failure message clearly indicates missing Node and how to fix it
• No regression for hosted runner workflows

Priority

Medium — recurring environment failure mode that wastes credits and confuses debugging.

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• expires on Jul 22, 2026, 11:43 PM UTC-08:00