From 12c913e7059ecca7ecb9543bbac31341591275f7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:53:00 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 01/20] Add markdown link verification action and scripts

- Implement Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 to parse markdown files and extract links.
- Create Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 to verify the accessibility of extracted links.
- Define action.yml for the markdown link verification action with necessary inputs and outputs.
- Add README.md to document usage and features of the markdown link verification action.
- Set up verify-markdown-links.yml workflow to automate link verification on push and pull request events.
---
 .../markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1    | 180 +++++++++++++++
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md    | 160 +++++++++++++
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 216 ++++++++++++++++++
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml   | 113 +++++++++
 .github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml   |  68 ++++++
 5 files changed, 737 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
 create mode 100644 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
 create mode 100644 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
 create mode 100644 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
 create mode 100644 .github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..62d0488392c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+# Licensed under the MIT License.
+
+#requires -version 7
+# Markdig is always available in PowerShell 7
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Parse CHANGELOG files using Markdig to extract links.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This script uses Markdig.Markdown.Parse to parse all markdown files in the CHANGELOG directory
+    and extract different types of links (inline links, reference links, etc.).
+
+.PARAMETER ChangelogPath
+    Path to the CHANGELOG directory. Defaults to ./CHANGELOG
+
+.PARAMETER LinkType
+    Filter by link type: All, Inline, Reference, AutoLink. Defaults to All.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 -LinkType Reference
+#>
+
+param(
+    [string]$ChangelogPath = "./CHANGELOG",
+    [ValidateSet("All", "Inline", "Reference", "AutoLink")]
+    [string]$LinkType = "All"
+)
+
+Write-Verbose "Using built-in Markdig functionality to parse markdown files"
+
+function Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
+        [object]$Node,
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
+        [string]$FileName,
+        [System.Collections.ArrayList]$Links
+    )
+
+    if ($null -eq $Links) {
+        return
+    }
+
+    # Check if current node is a link
+    if ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.Inlines.LinkInline]) {
+        $linkInfo = [PSCustomObject]@{
+            Path = $FileName
+            Line = $Node.Line + 1  # Convert to 1-based line numbering
+            Column = $Node.Column + 1  # Convert to 1-based column numbering
+            Url = $Node.Url ?? ""
+            Text = $Node.FirstChild?.ToString() ?? ""
+            Type = "Inline"
+            IsImage = $Node.IsImage
+        }
+        [void]$Links.Add($linkInfo)
+    }
+    elseif ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.Inlines.AutolinkInline]) {
+        $linkInfo = [PSCustomObject]@{
+            Path = $FileName
+            Line = $Node.Line + 1
+            Column = $Node.Column + 1
+            Url = $Node.Url ?? ""
+            Text = $Node.Url ?? ""
+            Type = "AutoLink"
+            IsImage = $false
+        }
+        [void]$Links.Add($linkInfo)
+    }
+    elseif ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.LinkReferenceDefinitionGroup]) {
+        foreach ($refDef in $Node) {
+            $linkInfo = [PSCustomObject]@{
+                Path = $FileName
+                Line = $refDef.Line + 1
+                Column = $refDef.Column + 1
+                Url = $refDef.Url ?? ""
+                Text = $refDef.Label ?? ""
+                Type = "Reference"
+                IsImage = $false
+            }
+            [void]$Links.Add($linkInfo)
+        }
+    }
+    elseif ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.LinkReferenceDefinition]) {
+        $linkInfo = [PSCustomObject]@{
+            Path = $FileName
+            Line = $Node.Line + 1
+            Column = $Node.Column + 1
+            Url = $Node.Url ?? ""
+            Text = $Node.Label ?? ""
+            Type = "Reference"
+            IsImage = $false
+        }
+        [void]$Links.Add($linkInfo)
+    }
+
+    # For MarkdownDocument (root), iterate through all blocks
+    if ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.MarkdownDocument]) {
+        foreach ($block in $Node) {
+            Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst -Node $block -FileName $FileName -Links $Links
+        }
+    }
+    # For block containers, iterate through children
+    elseif ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.ContainerBlock]) {
+        foreach ($child in $Node) {
+            Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst -Node $child -FileName $FileName -Links $Links
+        }
+    }
+    # For leaf blocks with inlines, process the inline content
+    elseif ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.LeafBlock] -and $Node.Inline) {
+        Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst -Node $Node.Inline -FileName $FileName -Links $Links
+    }
+    # For inline containers, process all child inlines
+    elseif ($Node -is [Markdig.Syntax.Inlines.ContainerInline]) {
+        $child = $Node.FirstChild
+        while ($child) {
+            Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst -Node $child -FileName $FileName -Links $Links
+            $child = $child.NextSibling
+        }
+    }
+    # For other inline elements that might have children
+    elseif ($Node.PSObject.Properties.Name -contains "FirstChild" -and $Node.FirstChild) {
+        $child = $Node.FirstChild
+        while ($child) {
+            Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst -Node $child -FileName $FileName -Links $Links
+            $child = $child.NextSibling
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+function Parse-ChangelogFiles {
+    param(
+        [string]$Path
+    )
+
+    if (-not (Test-Path $Path)) {
+        Write-Error "CHANGELOG directory not found: $Path"
+        return
+    }
+
+    $markdownFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $Path -Filter "*.md" -File
+
+    if ($markdownFiles.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Warning "No markdown files found in $Path"
+        return
+    }
+
+    $allLinks = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
+
+    foreach ($file in $markdownFiles) {
+        Write-Verbose "Processing file: $($file.Name)"
+
+        try {
+            $content = Get-Content -Path $file.FullName -Raw -Encoding UTF8
+
+            # Parse the markdown content using Markdig
+            $document = [Markdig.Markdown]::Parse($content, [Markdig.MarkdownPipelineBuilder]::new())
+
+            # Extract links from the AST
+            Get-LinksFromMarkdownAst -Node $document -FileName $file.FullName -Links $allLinks
+
+        } catch {
+            Write-Warning "Error processing file $($file.Name): $($_.Exception.Message)"
+        }
+    }    # Filter by link type if specified
+    if ($LinkType -ne "All") {
+        $allLinks = $allLinks | Where-Object { $_.Type -eq $LinkType }
+    }
+
+    return $allLinks
+}
+
+# Main execution
+$links = Parse-ChangelogFiles -Path $ChangelogPath
+
+# Output PowerShell objects
+$links
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..81217972d23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+# Verify Markdown Links Action
+
+A GitHub composite action that verifies all links in markdown files using PowerShell and Markdig.
+
+## Features
+
+- ✅ Parses markdown files using Markdig (built into PowerShell 7)
+- ✅ Extracts all link types: inline links, reference links, and autolinks
+- ✅ Verifies HTTP/HTTPS links with configurable timeouts and retries
+- ✅ Validates local file references
+- ✅ Supports excluding specific URL patterns
+- ✅ Provides detailed error reporting with file locations
+- ✅ Outputs metrics for CI/CD integration
+
+## Usage
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+```yaml
+- name: Verify Markdown Links
+  uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
+  with:
+    path: './CHANGELOG'
+```
+
+### Advanced Usage
+
+```yaml
+- name: Verify Markdown Links
+  uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
+  with:
+    path: './docs'
+    fail-on-error: 'true'
+    timeout: 30
+    max-retries: 2
+    exclude-patterns: '*.example.com/*,*://localhost/*'
+```
+
+### With Outputs
+
+```yaml
+- name: Verify Markdown Links
+  id: verify-links
+  uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
+  with:
+    path: './CHANGELOG'
+    fail-on-error: 'false'
+
+- name: Display Results
+  run: |
+    echo "Total links: ${{ steps.verify-links.outputs.total-links }}"
+    echo "Passed: ${{ steps.verify-links.outputs.passed-links }}"
+    echo "Failed: ${{ steps.verify-links.outputs.failed-links }}"
+    echo "Skipped: ${{ steps.verify-links.outputs.skipped-links }}"
+```
+
+## Inputs
+
+| Input | Description | Required | Default |
+|-------|-------------|----------|---------|
+| `path` | Path to the directory containing markdown files to verify | No | `./CHANGELOG` |
+| `exclude-patterns` | Comma-separated list of URL patterns to exclude from verification | No | `''` |
+| `fail-on-error` | Whether to fail the action if any links are broken | No | `true` |
+| `timeout` | Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests | No | `30` |
+| `max-retries` | Maximum number of retries for failed requests | No | `2` |
+
+## Outputs
+
+| Output | Description |
+|--------|-------------|
+| `total-links` | Total number of unique links checked |
+| `passed-links` | Number of links that passed verification |
+| `failed-links` | Number of links that failed verification |
+| `skipped-links` | Number of links that were skipped |
+
+## Excluded Link Types
+
+The action automatically skips the following link types:
+
+- **Anchor links** (`#section-name`) - Would require full markdown parsing
+- **Email links** (`mailto:user@example.com`) - Cannot be verified without sending email
+
+## Example Workflow
+
+```yaml
+name: Verify Links
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ main ]
+    paths:
+      - '**/*.md'
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ main ]
+    paths:
+      - '**/*.md'
+  schedule:
+    # Run weekly to catch external link rot
+    - cron: '0 0 * * 0'
+
+jobs:
+  verify-links:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Verify CHANGELOG Links
+        uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
+        with:
+          path: './CHANGELOG'
+          fail-on-error: 'true'
+
+      - name: Verify Documentation Links
+        uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
+        with:
+          path: './docs'
+          fail-on-error: 'false'
+          exclude-patterns: '*.internal.example.com/*'
+```
+
+## How It Works
+
+1. **Parse Markdown**: Uses `Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1` to extract all links from markdown files using Markdig
+2. **Deduplicate**: Groups links by URL to avoid checking the same link multiple times
+3. **Verify Links**:
+   - HTTP/HTTPS links: Makes HEAD/GET requests with configurable timeout and retries
+   - Local file references: Checks if the file exists relative to the markdown file
+   - Excluded patterns: Skips links matching the exclude patterns
+4. **Report Results**: Displays detailed results with file locations for failed links
+5. **Set Outputs**: Provides metrics for downstream steps
+
+## Error Output Example
+
+```
+✗ FAILED: https://example.com/broken-link - HTTP 404
+    Found in: /path/to/file.md:42:15
+    Found in: /path/to/other.md:100:20
+
+Link Verification Summary
+============================================================
+Total URLs checked: 150
+Passed: 145
+Failed: 2
+Skipped: 3
+
+Failed Links:
+  • https://example.com/broken-link
+    Error: HTTP 404
+    Occurrences: 2
+```
+
+## Requirements
+
+- PowerShell 7+ (includes Markdig)
+- Runs on: `ubuntu-latest`, `windows-latest`, `macos-latest`
+
+## License
+
+Same as the PowerShell repository.
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d5287673057
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+# Licensed under the MIT License.
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Verify all links in markdown files.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This script parses markdown files to extract links and verifies their accessibility.
+    It supports HTTP/HTTPS links and local file references.
+
+.PARAMETER Path
+    Path to the directory containing markdown files. Defaults to current directory.
+
+.PARAMETER Exclude
+    Array of URL patterns to exclude from verification (e.g., for known temporary issues).
+
+.PARAMETER FailOnError
+    If set, the script will exit with non-zero code if any links fail.
+
+.PARAMETER Timeout
+    Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests. Defaults to 30.
+
+.PARAMETER MaxRetries
+    Maximum number of retries for failed requests. Defaults to 2.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 -Path ./CHANGELOG
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 -Path ./docs -FailOnError
+#>
+
+param(
+    [string]$Path = "Q:\src\git\powershell\docs\git",
+    [string[]]$Exclude = @(),
+    [switch]$FailOnError,
+    [int]$Timeout = 30,
+    [int]$MaxRetries = 2
+)
+
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+
+# Get the script directory
+$scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+
+Write-Host "Extracting links from markdown files in: $Path" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+
+# Get all links from markdown files using the Parse-ChangelogLinks script
+$parseScriptPath = Join-Path $scriptDir "Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1"
+$allLinks = & $parseScriptPath -ChangelogPath $Path
+
+if ($allLinks.Count -eq 0) {
+    Write-Host "No links found in markdown files." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    exit 0
+}
+
+Write-Host "Found $($allLinks.Count) links to verify" -ForegroundColor Green
+
+# Group links by URL to avoid duplicate checks
+$uniqueLinks = $allLinks | Group-Object -Property Url
+
+Write-Host "Unique URLs to verify: $($uniqueLinks.Count)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+
+$results = @{
+    Total = $uniqueLinks.Count
+    Passed = 0
+    Failed = 0
+    Skipped = 0
+    Errors = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
+}
+
+# Create a web client for HTTP requests with proper headers
+$httpClient = [System.Net.Http.HttpClient]::new()
+$httpClient.Timeout = [TimeSpan]::FromSeconds($Timeout)
+$httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("User-Agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)")
+
+function Test-HttpLink {
+    param(
+        [string]$Url,
+        [int]$Retries = 0
+    )
+
+    try {
+        $response = $httpClient.GetAsync($Url).GetAwaiter().GetResult()
+
+        if ($response.IsSuccessStatusCode) {
+            return @{ Success = $true; StatusCode = [int]$response.StatusCode }
+        }
+        elseif ($response.StatusCode -eq [System.Net.HttpStatusCode]::TooManyRequests -and $Retries -lt $MaxRetries) {
+            Write-Verbose "Rate limited, retrying... ($($Retries + 1)/$MaxRetries)"
+            Start-Sleep -Seconds (5 * ($Retries + 1))
+            return Test-HttpLink -Url $Url -Retries ($Retries + 1)
+        }
+        else {
+            return @{ Success = $false; StatusCode = [int]$response.StatusCode; Error = "HTTP $([int]$response.StatusCode)" }
+        }
+    }
+    catch {
+        if ($Retries -lt $MaxRetries) {
+            Write-Verbose "Request failed, retrying... ($($Retries + 1)/$MaxRetries)"
+            Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
+            return Test-HttpLink -Url $Url -Retries ($Retries + 1)
+        }
+        return @{ Success = $false; StatusCode = 0; Error = $_.Exception.Message }
+    }
+}
+
+function Test-LocalLink {
+    param(
+        [string]$Url,
+        [string]$BasePath
+    )
+
+    # Handle relative paths
+    $targetPath = Join-Path $BasePath $Url
+
+    if (Test-Path $targetPath) {
+        return @{ Success = $true }
+    }
+    else {
+        return @{ Success = $false; Error = "File not found: $targetPath" }
+    }
+}
+
+# Verify each unique link
+$progressCount = 0
+foreach ($linkGroup in $uniqueLinks) {
+    $progressCount++
+    $url = $linkGroup.Name
+    $occurrences = $linkGroup.Group
+    Write-Verbose "[$progressCount/$($uniqueLinks.Count)] Checking: $url"
+
+    # Check if URL should be excluded
+        $shouldExclude = $false
+        foreach ($excludePattern in $Exclude) {
+            if ($url -like $excludePattern) {
+                $shouldExclude = $true
+                break
+            }
+        }
+        if ($shouldExclude) {
+            Write-Host "⊘ SKIPPED: $url (excluded)" -ForegroundColor Gray
+            $results.Skipped++
+            continue
+        }
+        # Determine link type and verify
+        $verifyResult = $null
+        if ($url -match '^https?://') {
+            $verifyResult = Test-HttpLink -Url $url
+        }
+        elseif ($url -match '^#') {
+            Write-Verbose "Skipping anchor link: $url"
+            $results.Skipped++
+            continue
+        }
+        elseif ($url -match '^mailto:') {
+            Write-Verbose "Skipping mailto link: $url"
+            $results.Skipped++
+            continue
+        }
+        else {
+            $basePath = Split-Path -Parent $occurrences[0].Path
+            $verifyResult = Test-LocalLink -Url $url -BasePath $basePath
+        }
+        if ($verifyResult.Success) {
+            Write-Host "✓ OK: $url" -ForegroundColor Green
+            $results.Passed++
+        }
+        else {
+            $errorMsg = if ($verifyResult.StatusCode) {
+                "HTTP $($verifyResult.StatusCode)"
+            }
+            else {
+                $verifyResult.Error
+            }
+            Write-Host "✗ FAILED: $url - $errorMsg" -ForegroundColor Red
+            foreach ($occurrence in $occurrences) {
+                Write-Host "    Found in: $($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+            }
+            $results.Failed++
+            [void]$results.Errors.Add(@{
+                Url = $url
+                Error = $errorMsg
+                Occurrences = $occurrences
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
+# Print summary
+Write-Host "`n" + ("=" * 60) -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host "Link Verification Summary" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host ("=" * 60) -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host "Total URLs checked: $($results.Total)" -ForegroundColor White
+Write-Host "Passed: $($results.Passed)" -ForegroundColor Green
+Write-Host "Failed: $($results.Failed)" -ForegroundColor $(if ($results.Failed -gt 0) { "Red" } else { "Green" })
+Write-Host "Skipped: $($results.Skipped)" -ForegroundColor Gray
+
+if ($results.Failed -gt 0) {
+    Write-Host "`nFailed Links:" -ForegroundColor Red
+    foreach ($failedLink in $results.Errors) {
+        Write-Host "  • $($failedLink.Url)" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "    Error: $($failedLink.Error)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+        Write-Host "    Occurrences: $($failedLink.Occurrences.Count)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+    }
+
+    if ($FailOnError) {
+        Write-Host "`n❌ Link verification failed!" -ForegroundColor Red
+        exit 1
+    }
+}
+else {
+    Write-Host "`n✅ All links verified successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green
+}
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b42bb66f459
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+name: 'Verify Markdown Links'
+description: 'Verify all links in markdown files using PowerShell and Markdig'
+author: 'PowerShell Team'
+
+inputs:
+  path:
+    description: 'Path to the directory containing markdown files to verify'
+    required: false
+    default: './CHANGELOG'
+  exclude-patterns:
+    description: 'Comma-separated list of URL patterns to exclude from verification'
+    required: false
+    default: ''
+  fail-on-error:
+    description: 'Whether to fail the action if any links are broken'
+    required: false
+    default: 'true'
+  timeout:
+    description: 'Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests'
+    required: false
+    default: '30'
+  max-retries:
+    description: 'Maximum number of retries for failed requests'
+    required: false
+    default: '2'
+
+outputs:
+  total-links:
+    description: 'Total number of unique links checked'
+    value: ${{ steps.verify.outputs.total }}
+  passed-links:
+    description: 'Number of links that passed verification'
+    value: ${{ steps.verify.outputs.passed }}
+  failed-links:
+    description: 'Number of links that failed verification'
+    value: ${{ steps.verify.outputs.failed }}
+  skipped-links:
+    description: 'Number of links that were skipped'
+    value: ${{ steps.verify.outputs.skipped }}
+
+runs:
+  using: 'composite'
+  steps:
+    - name: Verify markdown links
+      id: verify
+      shell: pwsh
+      run: |
+        Write-Host "Starting markdown link verification..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
+
+        # Prepare exclude patterns
+        $excludePatterns = @()
+        $excludeInput = '${{ inputs.exclude-patterns }}'
+        if ($excludeInput) {
+          $excludePatterns = $excludeInput -split ',' | ForEach-Object { $_.Trim() }
+          Write-Host "Exclude patterns: $($excludePatterns -join ', ')" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        }
+
+        # Build parameters
+        $params = @{
+          Path = '${{ inputs.path }}'
+          Timeout = [int]'${{ inputs.timeout }}'
+          MaxRetries = [int]'${{ inputs.max-retries }}'
+        }
+
+        if ($excludePatterns.Count -gt 0) {
+          $params.Exclude = $excludePatterns
+        }
+
+        if ('${{ inputs.fail-on-error }}' -eq 'true') {
+          $params.FailOnError = $true
+        }
+
+        # Run the verification script
+        $scriptPath = Join-Path '${{ github.action_path }}' 'Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1'
+
+        # Capture output and parse results
+        $output = & $scriptPath @params 2>&1 | Tee-Object -Variable capturedOutput
+
+        # Try to extract metrics from output
+        $totalLinks = 0
+        $passedLinks = 0
+        $failedLinks = 0
+        $skippedLinks = 0
+
+        foreach ($line in $capturedOutput) {
+          if ($line -match 'Total URLs checked: (\d+)') {
+            $totalLinks = $Matches[1]
+          }
+          elseif ($line -match 'Passed: (\d+)') {
+            $passedLinks = $Matches[1]
+          }
+          elseif ($line -match 'Failed: (\d+)') {
+            $failedLinks = $Matches[1]
+          }
+          elseif ($line -match 'Skipped: (\d+)') {
+            $skippedLinks = $Matches[1]
+          }
+        }
+
+        # Set outputs
+        "total=$totalLinks" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+        "passed=$passedLinks" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+        "failed=$failedLinks" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+        "skipped=$skippedLinks" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+        Write-Host "Action completed" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+
+        # Exit with the same code as the verification script
+        exit $LASTEXITCODE
+
+branding:
+  icon: 'link'
+  color: 'blue'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e6c4e57f88d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+name: Verify Markdown Links
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ main, master ]
+    paths:
+      - '**/*.md'
+      - '.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml'
+      - '.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/**'
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ main, master ]
+    paths:
+      - '**/*.md'
+  schedule:
+    # Run weekly on Sundays at midnight UTC to catch external link rot
+    - cron: '0 0 * * 0'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      path:
+        description: 'Path to verify (default: CHANGELOG)'
+        required: false
+        default: '.'
+
+jobs:
+  verify-changelog-links:
+    name: Verify CHANGELOG Links
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Verify CHANGELOG links
+        id: verify
+        uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
+        with:
+          path: ${{ github.event.inputs.path || '.' }}
+          fail-on-error: 'true'
+          timeout: 30
+          max-retries: 2
+          # Exclude internal or known temporary unavailable links
+          exclude-patterns: ''
+
+      - name: Display verification results
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          echo "## Link Verification Results" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- **Total Links**: ${{ steps.verify.outputs.total-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- **Passed**: ✅ ${{ steps.verify.outputs.passed-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- **Failed**: ❌ ${{ steps.verify.outputs.failed-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- **Skipped**: ⊘ ${{ steps.verify.outputs.skipped-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+
+      - name: Comment on PR (if failed)
+        if: failure() && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const failedLinks = '${{ steps.verify.outputs.failed-links }}';
+            if (failedLinks > 0) {
+              github.rest.issues.createComment({
+                issue_number: context.issue.number,
+                owner: context.repo.owner,
+                repo: context.repo.repo,
+                body: `## ❌ Markdown Link Verification Failed\n\n` +
+                      `Found ${failedLinks} broken link(s) in the markdown files.\n\n` +
+                      `Please check the workflow logs for details.`
+              });
+            }

From 7b2970c10f1ba85f487139e516c38d85cc9c03de Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:13:14 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 02/20] Add Parse-MarkdownLink script and update references in
 Verify-MarkdownLinks

---
 .../{Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 => Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1}      | 4 ++--
 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md        | 2 +-
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1     | 2 +-
 3 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
 rename .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/{Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 => Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1} (98%)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
similarity index 98%
rename from .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
rename to .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
index 62d0488392c..c49144b16d8 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@
     Filter by link type: All, Inline, Reference, AutoLink. Defaults to All.
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    .\Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1
+    .\Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    .\Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1 -LinkType Reference
+    .\Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1 -LinkType Reference
 #>
 
 param(
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
index 81217972d23..3da3ac2a4d4 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ jobs:
 
 ## How It Works
 
-1. **Parse Markdown**: Uses `Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1` to extract all links from markdown files using Markdig
+1. **Parse Markdown**: Uses `Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1` to extract all links from markdown files using Markdig
 2. **Deduplicate**: Groups links by URL to avoid checking the same link multiple times
 3. **Verify Links**:
    - HTTP/HTTPS links: Makes HEAD/GET requests with configurable timeout and retries
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index d5287673057..a80a50dba06 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ $scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 Write-Host "Extracting links from markdown files in: $Path" -ForegroundColor Cyan
 
 # Get all links from markdown files using the Parse-ChangelogLinks script
-$parseScriptPath = Join-Path $scriptDir "Parse-ChangelogLinks.ps1"
+$parseScriptPath = Join-Path $scriptDir "Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1"
 $allLinks = & $parseScriptPath -ChangelogPath $Path
 
 if ($allLinks.Count -eq 0) {

From edd453688995fb408f368b7400aa1643415ad9bb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:19:48 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 03/20] Refactor HTTP link verification to use
 Invoke-WebRequest for improved error handling and retry logic

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 36 ++++++++-----------
 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index a80a50dba06..c2e84a5b1f3 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 # Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
 # Licensed under the MIT License.
 
+#Requires -Version 7.0
+
 <#
 .SYNOPSIS
     Verify all links in markdown files.
@@ -70,38 +72,28 @@ $results = @{
     Errors = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
 }
 
-# Create a web client for HTTP requests with proper headers
-$httpClient = [System.Net.Http.HttpClient]::new()
-$httpClient.Timeout = [TimeSpan]::FromSeconds($Timeout)
-$httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("User-Agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)")
-
 function Test-HttpLink {
     param(
-        [string]$Url,
-        [int]$Retries = 0
+        [string]$Url
     )
 
     try {
-        $response = $httpClient.GetAsync($Url).GetAwaiter().GetResult()
-
-        if ($response.IsSuccessStatusCode) {
-            return @{ Success = $true; StatusCode = [int]$response.StatusCode }
-        }
-        elseif ($response.StatusCode -eq [System.Net.HttpStatusCode]::TooManyRequests -and $Retries -lt $MaxRetries) {
-            Write-Verbose "Rate limited, retrying... ($($Retries + 1)/$MaxRetries)"
-            Start-Sleep -Seconds (5 * ($Retries + 1))
-            return Test-HttpLink -Url $Url -Retries ($Retries + 1)
+        $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Url `
+            -Method Head `
+            -TimeoutSec $Timeout `
+            -MaximumRetryCount $MaxRetries `
+            -RetryIntervalSec 2 `
+            -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)" `
+            -SkipHttpErrorCheck
+
+        if ($response.StatusCode -ge 200 -and $response.StatusCode -lt 400) {
+            return @{ Success = $true; StatusCode = $response.StatusCode }
         }
         else {
-            return @{ Success = $false; StatusCode = [int]$response.StatusCode; Error = "HTTP $([int]$response.StatusCode)" }
+            return @{ Success = $false; StatusCode = $response.StatusCode; Error = "HTTP $($response.StatusCode)" }
         }
     }
     catch {
-        if ($Retries -lt $MaxRetries) {
-            Write-Verbose "Request failed, retrying... ($($Retries + 1)/$MaxRetries)"
-            Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
-            return Test-HttpLink -Url $Url -Retries ($Retries + 1)
-        }
         return @{ Success = $false; StatusCode = 0; Error = $_.Exception.Message }
     }
 }

From 8354d9b78b84014114ebb694bdef64b7b084680e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:30:37 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 04/20] Enhance markdown link verification to support changed
 files detection in pull requests and pushes

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 38 ++++++++++--
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml   | 58 ++++++++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 90 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index c2e84a5b1f3..b45a24a5c62 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@
 .PARAMETER Path
     Path to the directory containing markdown files. Defaults to current directory.
 
+.PARAMETER File
+    Array of specific markdown files to verify. If provided, Path parameter is ignored.
+
 .PARAMETER Exclude
     Array of URL patterns to exclude from verification (e.g., for known temporary issues).
 
@@ -31,10 +34,16 @@
 
 .EXAMPLE
     .\Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 -Path ./docs -FailOnError
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 -File @('CHANGELOG/7.5.md', 'README.md')
 #>
 
 param(
+    [Parameter(ParameterSetName = 'ByPath', Mandatory)]
     [string]$Path = "Q:\src\git\powershell\docs\git",
+    [Parameter(ParameterSetName = 'ByFile', Mandatory)]
+    [string[]]$File = @(),
     [string[]]$Exclude = @(),
     [switch]$FailOnError,
     [int]$Timeout = 30,
@@ -46,11 +55,32 @@ $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 # Get the script directory
 $scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 
-Write-Host "Extracting links from markdown files in: $Path" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+# Determine what to process: specific files or directory
+if ($File.Count -gt 0) {
+    Write-Host "Extracting links from $($File.Count) specified markdown file(s)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+
+    # Process each file individually
+    $allLinks = @()
+    $parseScriptPath = Join-Path $scriptDir "Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1"
+
+    foreach ($filePath in $File) {
+        if (Test-Path $filePath) {
+            Write-Verbose "Processing: $filePath"
+            $fileLinks = & $parseScriptPath -ChangelogPath $filePath
+            $allLinks += $fileLinks
+        }
+        else {
+            Write-Warning "File not found: $filePath"
+        }
+    }
+}
+else {
+    Write-Host "Extracting links from markdown files in: $Path" -ForegroundColor Cyan
 
-# Get all links from markdown files using the Parse-ChangelogLinks script
-$parseScriptPath = Join-Path $scriptDir "Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1"
-$allLinks = & $parseScriptPath -ChangelogPath $Path
+    # Get all links from markdown files using the Parse-ChangelogLinks script
+    $parseScriptPath = Join-Path $scriptDir "Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1"
+    $allLinks = & $parseScriptPath -ChangelogPath $Path
+}
 
 if ($allLinks.Count -eq 0) {
     Write-Host "No links found in markdown files." -ForegroundColor Yellow
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
index b42bb66f459..5c35c9ec402 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
@@ -41,12 +41,66 @@ outputs:
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
   steps:
+    - name: Get changed markdown files
+      id: changed-files
+      uses: actions/github-script@v7
+      with:
+        script: |
+          let changedMarkdownFiles = [];
+
+          if (context.eventName === 'pull_request') {
+            const { data: files } = await github.rest.pulls.listFiles({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              pull_number: context.payload.pull_request.number,
+            });
+
+            changedMarkdownFiles = files
+              .filter(file => file.filename.endsWith('.md'))
+              .map(file => file.filename);
+          } else if (context.eventName === 'push') {
+            const { data: comparison } = await github.rest.repos.compareCommits({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              base: context.payload.before,
+              head: context.payload.after,
+            });
+
+            changedMarkdownFiles = comparison.files
+              .filter(file => file.filename.endsWith('.md'))
+              .map(file => file.filename);
+          } else {
+            core.setFailed(`Unsupported event type: ${context.eventName}. This action only supports 'pull_request' and 'push' events.`);
+            return;
+          }
+
+          console.log('Changed markdown files:', changedMarkdownFiles);
+          core.setOutput('files', JSON.stringify(changedMarkdownFiles));
+          core.setOutput('count', changedMarkdownFiles.length);
+          return changedMarkdownFiles;
+
     - name: Verify markdown links
       id: verify
       shell: pwsh
       run: |
         Write-Host "Starting markdown link verification..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
 
+        # Get changed markdown files from previous step
+        $changedFilesJson = '${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.files }}'
+        $changedFiles = $changedFilesJson | ConvertFrom-Json
+        
+        if ($changedFiles.Count -eq 0) {
+          Write-Host "No markdown files changed, skipping verification" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+          "total=0" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          "passed=0" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          "failed=0" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          "skipped=0" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          exit 0
+        }
+        
+        Write-Host "Changed markdown files: $($changedFiles.Count)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+        $changedFiles | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "  - $_" -ForegroundColor Gray }
+
         # Prepare exclude patterns
         $excludePatterns = @()
         $excludeInput = '${{ inputs.exclude-patterns }}'
@@ -55,9 +109,9 @@ runs:
           Write-Host "Exclude patterns: $($excludePatterns -join ', ')" -ForegroundColor Yellow
         }
 
-        # Build parameters
+        # Build parameters for each file
         $params = @{
-          Path = '${{ inputs.path }}'
+          File = $changedFiles
           Timeout = [int]'${{ inputs.timeout }}'
           MaxRetries = [int]'${{ inputs.max-retries }}'
         }

From d74688d5456a8c2824a1219c393160373895a51a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:36:05 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 05/20] Update workflow to verify all markdown files by default
 instead of CHANGELOG

---
 .github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml | 8 ++++----
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
index e6c4e57f88d..f9bf1650066 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
@@ -17,19 +17,19 @@ on:
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       path:
-        description: 'Path to verify (default: CHANGELOG)'
+        description: 'Path to verify (default: all markdown files)'
         required: false
         default: '.'
 
 jobs:
-  verify-changelog-links:
-    name: Verify CHANGELOG Links
+  verify-markdown-links:
+    name: Verify Markdown Links
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Verify CHANGELOG links
+      - name: Verify markdown links
         id: verify
         uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
         with:

From 60ec84e3e53817262d8d2a9c8e45732af3de0b22 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:36:45 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 06/20] Break a link

---
 README.md | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dade0207250..a1d721e7f98 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ If you are new to PowerShell and want to learn more, we recommend reviewing the
 ## Get PowerShell
 
 PowerShell is supported on Windows, macOS, and a variety of Linux platforms. For
-more information, see [Installing PowerShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell).
+more information, see [Installing PowerShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-broken).
 
 ## Upgrading PowerShell
 

From 684545819ea561a6b367f3ebfa572d834854db2d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:48:09 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 07/20] Enhance link verification to ignore specific HTTP
 status codes (401, 403, 429) and improve error reporting for failed links

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 50 +++++++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index b45a24a5c62..d401106455b 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -196,16 +196,48 @@ foreach ($linkGroup in $uniqueLinks) {
             else {
                 $verifyResult.Error
             }
-            Write-Host "✗ FAILED: $url - $errorMsg" -ForegroundColor Red
-            foreach ($occurrence in $occurrences) {
-                Write-Host "    Found in: $($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+
+            # Determine if this status code should be ignored or treated as failure
+            # Ignore: 401 (Unauthorized), 403 (Forbidden), 429 (Too Many Requests - already retried)
+            # Fail: 404 (Not Found), 410 (Gone), 406 (Not Acceptable) - these indicate broken links
+            $shouldIgnore = $false
+            $ignoreReason = ""
+            
+            switch ($verifyResult.StatusCode) {
+                401 {
+                    $shouldIgnore = $true
+                    $ignoreReason = "authentication required"
+                }
+                403 {
+                    $shouldIgnore = $true
+                    $ignoreReason = "access forbidden"
+                }
+                429 {
+                    $shouldIgnore = $true
+                    $ignoreReason = "rate limited (already retried)"
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($shouldIgnore) {
+                Write-Host "⊘ IGNORED: $url - $errorMsg ($ignoreReason)" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                Write-Verbose "Ignored error details for $url - Status: $($verifyResult.StatusCode) - $ignoreReason"
+                foreach ($occurrence in $occurrences) {
+                    Write-Verbose "    Found in: $($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)"
+                }
+                $results.Skipped++
+            }
+            else {
+                Write-Host "✗ FAILED: $url - $errorMsg" -ForegroundColor Red
+                foreach ($occurrence in $occurrences) {
+                    Write-Host "    Found in: $($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+                }
+                $results.Failed++
+                [void]$results.Errors.Add(@{
+                    Url = $url
+                    Error = $errorMsg
+                    Occurrences = $occurrences
+                })
             }
-            $results.Failed++
-            [void]$results.Errors.Add(@{
-                Url = $url
-                Error = $errorMsg
-                Occurrences = $occurrences
-            })
         }
     }
 

From 5ddda492ba3c4414f6346eaa558ce87f41765ec2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:51:25 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 08/20] Enhance local link verification by stripping query
 parameters and anchors from URLs

---
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1  | 7 +++++--
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index d401106455b..9fe663c93cc 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -134,8 +134,11 @@ function Test-LocalLink {
         [string]$BasePath
     )
 
+    # Strip query parameters (e.g., ?sanitize=true) and anchors (e.g., #section)
+    $cleanUrl = $Url -replace '\?.*$', '' -replace '#.*$', ''
+
     # Handle relative paths
-    $targetPath = Join-Path $BasePath $Url
+    $targetPath = Join-Path $BasePath $cleanUrl
 
     if (Test-Path $targetPath) {
         return @{ Success = $true }
@@ -202,7 +205,7 @@ foreach ($linkGroup in $uniqueLinks) {
             # Fail: 404 (Not Found), 410 (Gone), 406 (Not Acceptable) - these indicate broken links
             $shouldIgnore = $false
             $ignoreReason = ""
-            
+
             switch ($verifyResult.StatusCode) {
                 401 {
                     $shouldIgnore = $true

From a75e158f8831cf7680127ef741ae4daafc571979 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:53:43 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 09/20] Enhance HTTP link verification by adding a HEAD request
 method and retrying with GET for specific status codes (404, 405)

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1          | 13 +++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index 9fe663c93cc..6e753a5341a 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ function Test-HttpLink {
     )
 
     try {
+        # Try HEAD request first (faster, doesn't download content)
         $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Url `
             -Method Head `
             -TimeoutSec $Timeout `
@@ -116,6 +117,18 @@ function Test-HttpLink {
             -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)" `
             -SkipHttpErrorCheck
 
+        # If HEAD fails with 404 or 405, retry with GET (some servers don't support HEAD)
+        if ($response.StatusCode -eq 404 -or $response.StatusCode -eq 405) {
+            Write-Verbose "HEAD request failed with $($response.StatusCode), retrying with GET for: $Url"
+            $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Url `
+                -Method Get `
+                -TimeoutSec $Timeout `
+                -MaximumRetryCount $MaxRetries `
+                -RetryIntervalSec 2 `
+                -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)" `
+                -SkipHttpErrorCheck
+        }
+
         if ($response.StatusCode -ge 200 -and $response.StatusCode -lt 400) {
             return @{ Success = $true; StatusCode = $response.StatusCode }
         }

From d35c5954486aa536f34033a7637af4866848a5c1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:57:31 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 10/20] Revert "Break a link"

This reverts commit 60ec84e3e53817262d8d2a9c8e45732af3de0b22.
---
 README.md | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a1d721e7f98..dade0207250 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ If you are new to PowerShell and want to learn more, we recommend reviewing the
 ## Get PowerShell
 
 PowerShell is supported on Windows, macOS, and a variety of Linux platforms. For
-more information, see [Installing PowerShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-broken).
+more information, see [Installing PowerShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell).
 
 ## Upgrading PowerShell
 

From 5b5f887e631bda5bc74175cf41fff0e4ea8e01e7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:03:03 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 11/20] Enhance GitHub Actions summary reporting for markdown
 link verification results

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 53 +++++++++++++++++++
 .github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml   | 10 ----
 2 files changed, 53 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index 6e753a5341a..4df17ec8132 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -283,4 +283,57 @@ else {
     Write-Host "`n✅ All links verified successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green
 }
 
+# Write to GitHub Actions step summary if running in a workflow
+if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
+    $summaryContent = @"
+
+# Markdown Link Verification Results
+
+## Summary
+- **Total URLs checked:** $($results.Total)
+- **Passed:** ✅ $($results.Passed)
+- **Failed:** $(if ($results.Failed -gt 0) { "❌" } else { "✅" }) $($results.Failed)
+- **Skipped:** $($results.Skipped)
+
+"@
+
+    if ($results.Failed -gt 0) {
+        $summaryContent += @"
+
+## Failed Links
+
+| URL | Error | Occurrences |
+|-----|-------|-------------|
+
+"@
+        foreach ($failedLink in $results.Errors) {
+            $occurrenceList = ($failedLink.Occurrences | ForEach-Object {
+                "$($_.Path):$($_.Line):$($_.Column)"
+            }) -join '<br>'
+            $summaryContent += "| $($failedLink.Url) | $($failedLink.Error) | $($failedLink.Occurrences.Count) |`n"
+        }
+
+        $summaryContent += @"
+
+<details>
+<summary>Click to see all failed link locations</summary>
+
+"@
+        foreach ($failedLink in $results.Errors) {
+            $summaryContent += "`n### $($failedLink.Url)`n"
+            $summaryContent += "**Error:** $($failedLink.Error)`n`n"
+            foreach ($occurrence in $failedLink.Occurrences) {
+                $summaryContent += "- ``$($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)```n"
+            }
+        }
+        $summaryContent += "`n</details>`n"
+    }
+    else {
+        $summaryContent += "`n## ✅ All links verified successfully!`n"
+    }
+
+    $summaryContent | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY -Append
+    Write-Verbose "Summary written to GitHub Actions step summary"
+}
+
 exit 0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
index f9bf1650066..501f5d441ee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
@@ -40,16 +40,6 @@ jobs:
           # Exclude internal or known temporary unavailable links
           exclude-patterns: ''
 
-      - name: Display verification results
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          echo "## Link Verification Results" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "- **Total Links**: ${{ steps.verify.outputs.total-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "- **Passed**: ✅ ${{ steps.verify.outputs.passed-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "- **Failed**: ❌ ${{ steps.verify.outputs.failed-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "- **Skipped**: ⊘ ${{ steps.verify.outputs.skipped-links }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-
       - name: Comment on PR (if failed)
         if: failure() && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
         uses: actions/github-script@v7

From d74d5749710d87052cdcd9874b7642f61539d61f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:08:08 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 12/20] Remove PR comment step for failed markdown link
 verification

---
 .github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml | 17 -----------------
 1 file changed, 17 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
index 501f5d441ee..88b1910a4a3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
@@ -39,20 +39,3 @@ jobs:
           max-retries: 2
           # Exclude internal or known temporary unavailable links
           exclude-patterns: ''
-
-      - name: Comment on PR (if failed)
-        if: failure() && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
-        uses: actions/github-script@v7
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const failedLinks = '${{ steps.verify.outputs.failed-links }}';
-            if (failedLinks > 0) {
-              github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                issue_number: context.issue.number,
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                body: `## ❌ Markdown Link Verification Failed\n\n` +
-                      `Found ${failedLinks} broken link(s) in the markdown files.\n\n` +
-                      `Please check the workflow logs for details.`
-              });
-            }

From 22ff4e7d65de73be4c3fab625ee073588ed75fe6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:21:05 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 13/20] Remove exclude patterns and fail-on-error parameters
 from action inputs

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 49 +++++--------------
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml   | 24 ---------
 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 61 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index 4df17ec8132..6576b163d82 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -17,12 +17,6 @@
 .PARAMETER File
     Array of specific markdown files to verify. If provided, Path parameter is ignored.
 
-.PARAMETER Exclude
-    Array of URL patterns to exclude from verification (e.g., for known temporary issues).
-
-.PARAMETER FailOnError
-    If set, the script will exit with non-zero code if any links fail.
-
 .PARAMETER Timeout
     Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests. Defaults to 30.
 
@@ -44,8 +38,6 @@ param(
     [string]$Path = "Q:\src\git\powershell\docs\git",
     [Parameter(ParameterSetName = 'ByFile', Mandatory)]
     [string[]]$File = @(),
-    [string[]]$Exclude = @(),
-    [switch]$FailOnError,
     [int]$Timeout = 30,
     [int]$MaxRetries = 2
 )
@@ -167,33 +159,20 @@ foreach ($linkGroup in $uniqueLinks) {
     $progressCount++
     $url = $linkGroup.Name
     $occurrences = $linkGroup.Group
-    Write-Verbose "[$progressCount/$($uniqueLinks.Count)] Checking: $url"
-
-    # Check if URL should be excluded
-        $shouldExclude = $false
-        foreach ($excludePattern in $Exclude) {
-            if ($url -like $excludePattern) {
-                $shouldExclude = $true
-                break
-            }
-        }
-        if ($shouldExclude) {
-            Write-Host "⊘ SKIPPED: $url (excluded)" -ForegroundColor Gray
-            $results.Skipped++
-            continue
-        }
-        # Determine link type and verify
+    Write-Verbose -Verbose "[$progressCount/$($uniqueLinks.Count)] Checking: $url"
+
+    # Determine link type and verify
         $verifyResult = $null
         if ($url -match '^https?://') {
             $verifyResult = Test-HttpLink -Url $url
         }
         elseif ($url -match '^#') {
-            Write-Verbose "Skipping anchor link: $url"
+            Write-Verbose -Verbose "Skipping anchor link: $url"
             $results.Skipped++
             continue
         }
         elseif ($url -match '^mailto:') {
-            Write-Verbose "Skipping mailto link: $url"
+            Write-Verbose -Verbose "Skipping mailto link: $url"
             $results.Skipped++
             continue
         }
@@ -236,9 +215,9 @@ foreach ($linkGroup in $uniqueLinks) {
 
             if ($shouldIgnore) {
                 Write-Host "⊘ IGNORED: $url - $errorMsg ($ignoreReason)" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-                Write-Verbose "Ignored error details for $url - Status: $($verifyResult.StatusCode) - $ignoreReason"
+                Write-Verbose -Verbose "Ignored error details for $url - Status: $($verifyResult.StatusCode) - $ignoreReason"
                 foreach ($occurrence in $occurrences) {
-                    Write-Verbose "    Found in: $($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)"
+                    Write-Verbose -Verbose "    Found in: $($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)"
                 }
                 $results.Skipped++
             }
@@ -274,10 +253,8 @@ if ($results.Failed -gt 0) {
         Write-Host "    Occurrences: $($failedLink.Occurrences.Count)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
     }
 
-    if ($FailOnError) {
-        Write-Host "`n❌ Link verification failed!" -ForegroundColor Red
-        exit 1
-    }
+    Write-Host "`n❌ Link verification failed!" -ForegroundColor Red
+    exit 1
 }
 else {
     Write-Host "`n✅ All links verified successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green
@@ -307,9 +284,6 @@ if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
 
 "@
         foreach ($failedLink in $results.Errors) {
-            $occurrenceList = ($failedLink.Occurrences | ForEach-Object {
-                "$($_.Path):$($_.Line):$($_.Column)"
-            }) -join '<br>'
             $summaryContent += "| $($failedLink.Url) | $($failedLink.Error) | $($failedLink.Occurrences.Count) |`n"
         }
 
@@ -323,7 +297,7 @@ if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
             $summaryContent += "`n### $($failedLink.Url)`n"
             $summaryContent += "**Error:** $($failedLink.Error)`n`n"
             foreach ($occurrence in $failedLink.Occurrences) {
-                $summaryContent += "- ``$($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)```n"
+                $summaryContent += "- `$($occurrence.Path):$($occurrence.Line):$($occurrence.Column)`n"
             }
         }
         $summaryContent += "`n</details>`n"
@@ -332,8 +306,9 @@ if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
         $summaryContent += "`n## ✅ All links verified successfully!`n"
     }
 
+    Write-Verbose -Verbose "Writing `n $summaryContent `n to ${env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY}"
     $summaryContent | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY -Append
-    Write-Verbose "Summary written to GitHub Actions step summary"
+    Write-Verbose -Verbose "Summary written to GitHub Actions step summary"
 }
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
index 5c35c9ec402..fc5b51f733d 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
@@ -7,14 +7,6 @@ inputs:
     description: 'Path to the directory containing markdown files to verify'
     required: false
     default: './CHANGELOG'
-  exclude-patterns:
-    description: 'Comma-separated list of URL patterns to exclude from verification'
-    required: false
-    default: ''
-  fail-on-error:
-    description: 'Whether to fail the action if any links are broken'
-    required: false
-    default: 'true'
   timeout:
     description: 'Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests'
     required: false
@@ -101,14 +93,6 @@ runs:
         Write-Host "Changed markdown files: $($changedFiles.Count)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
         $changedFiles | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "  - $_" -ForegroundColor Gray }
 
-        # Prepare exclude patterns
-        $excludePatterns = @()
-        $excludeInput = '${{ inputs.exclude-patterns }}'
-        if ($excludeInput) {
-          $excludePatterns = $excludeInput -split ',' | ForEach-Object { $_.Trim() }
-          Write-Host "Exclude patterns: $($excludePatterns -join ', ')" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-        }
-
         # Build parameters for each file
         $params = @{
           File = $changedFiles
@@ -116,14 +100,6 @@ runs:
           MaxRetries = [int]'${{ inputs.max-retries }}'
         }
 
-        if ($excludePatterns.Count -gt 0) {
-          $params.Exclude = $excludePatterns
-        }
-
-        if ('${{ inputs.fail-on-error }}' -eq 'true') {
-          $params.FailOnError = $true
-        }
-
         # Run the verification script
         $scriptPath = Join-Path '${{ github.action_path }}' 'Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1'
 

From 836034d879c2afb7ae709a6a02dd9dc577cdbeae Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:42:26 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 14/20] Add PowerShell parameter naming conventions
 documentation

---
 ...owershell-parameter-naming.instructions.md | 69 +++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 69 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 .github/instructions/powershell-parameter-naming.instructions.md

diff --git a/.github/instructions/powershell-parameter-naming.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/powershell-parameter-naming.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..155fd1a85c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/instructions/powershell-parameter-naming.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+---
+applyTo: '**/*.ps1, **/*.psm1'
+description: Naming conventions for PowerShell parameters
+---
+
+# PowerShell Parameter Naming Conventions
+
+## Purpose
+
+This instruction defines the naming conventions for parameters in PowerShell scripts and modules. Consistent parameter naming improves code readability, maintainability, and usability for users of PowerShell cmdlets and functions.
+
+## Parameter Naming Rules
+
+### General Conventions
+- **Singular Nouns**: Use singular nouns for parameter names even if the parameter is expected to handle multiple values (e.g., `File` instead of `Files`).
+- **Use PascalCase**: Parameter names must use PascalCase (e.g., `ParameterName`).
+- **Descriptive Names**: Parameter names should be descriptive and convey their purpose clearly (e.g., `FilePath`, `UserName`).
+- **Avoid Abbreviations**: Avoid using abbreviations unless they are widely recognized (e.g., `ID` for Identifier).
+- **Avoid Reserved Words**: Do not use PowerShell reserved words as parameter names (e.g., `if`, `else`, `function`).
+
+### Units and Precision
+- **Include Units in Parameter Names**: When a parameter represents a value with units, include the unit in the parameter name for clarity:
+  - `TimeoutSec` instead of `Timeout`
+  - `RetryIntervalSec` instead of `RetryInterval`
+  - `MaxSizeBytes` instead of `MaxSize`
+- **Use Full Words for Clarity**: Spell out common terms to match PowerShell conventions:
+  - `MaximumRetryCount` instead of `MaxRetries`
+  - `MinimumLength` instead of `MinLength`
+
+### Alignment with Built-in Cmdlets
+- **Follow Existing PowerShell Conventions**: When your parameter serves a similar purpose to a built-in cmdlet parameter, use the same or similar naming:
+  - Match `Invoke-WebRequest` parameters when making HTTP requests: `TimeoutSec`, `MaximumRetryCount`, `RetryIntervalSec`
+  - Follow common parameter patterns like `Path`, `Force`, `Recurse`, `WhatIf`, `Confirm`
+- **Consistency Within Scripts**: If multiple parameters relate to the same concept, use consistent naming patterns (e.g., `TimeoutSec`, `RetryIntervalSec` both use `Sec` suffix).
+
+## Examples
+
+### Good Parameter Names
+```powershell
+param(
+    [string[]]$File,                    # Singular, even though it accepts arrays
+    [int]$TimeoutSec = 30,              # Unit included
+    [int]$MaximumRetryCount = 2,        # Full word "Maximum"
+    [int]$RetryIntervalSec = 2,         # Consistent with TimeoutSec
+    [string]$Path,                      # Standard PowerShell convention
+    [switch]$Force                      # Common PowerShell parameter
+)
+```
+
+### Names to Avoid
+```powershell
+param(
+    [string[]]$Files,                   # Should be singular: File
+    [int]$Timeout = 30,                 # Missing unit: TimeoutSec
+    [int]$MaxRetries = 2,               # Should be: MaximumRetryCount
+    [int]$RetryInterval = 2,            # Missing unit: RetryIntervalSec
+    [string]$FileLoc,                   # Avoid abbreviations: FilePath
+    [int]$Max                           # Ambiguous: MaximumWhat?
+)
+```
+
+## Exceptions
+- **Common Terms**: Some common terms may be used in plural form if they are widely accepted in the context (e.g., `Credentials`, `Permissions`).
+- **Legacy Code**: Existing code that does not follow these conventions may be exempted to avoid breaking changes, but new code should adhere to these guidelines.
+- **Well Established Naming Patterns**: If a naming pattern is well established in the PowerShell community, it may be used even if it does not strictly adhere to these guidelines.
+
+## References
+- [PowerShell Cmdlet Design Guidelines](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/developer/cmdlet/strongly-encouraged-development-guidelines)
+- [About Parameters - PowerShell Documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_parameters)

From 02e03029dae86f4c77ede5b80c2275bc6d72fbe8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:42:58 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 15/20] Refactor parameter names for consistency in markdown
 link verification script

---
 .../markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1    | 24 +++++++++++--------
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml   |  8 +++----
 2 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index 6576b163d82..f2a50eeaa78 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -17,12 +17,15 @@
 .PARAMETER File
     Array of specific markdown files to verify. If provided, Path parameter is ignored.
 
-.PARAMETER Timeout
+.PARAMETER TimeoutSec
     Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests. Defaults to 30.
 
-.PARAMETER MaxRetries
+.PARAMETER MaximumRetryCount
     Maximum number of retries for failed requests. Defaults to 2.
 
+.PARAMETER RetryIntervalSec
+    Interval in seconds between retry attempts. Defaults to 2.
+
 .EXAMPLE
     .\Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 -Path ./CHANGELOG
 
@@ -38,8 +41,9 @@ param(
     [string]$Path = "Q:\src\git\powershell\docs\git",
     [Parameter(ParameterSetName = 'ByFile', Mandatory)]
     [string[]]$File = @(),
-    [int]$Timeout = 30,
-    [int]$MaxRetries = 2
+    [int]$TimeoutSec = 30,
+    [int]$MaximumRetryCount = 2,
+    [int]$RetryIntervalSec = 2
 )
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
@@ -103,9 +107,9 @@ function Test-HttpLink {
         # Try HEAD request first (faster, doesn't download content)
         $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Url `
             -Method Head `
-            -TimeoutSec $Timeout `
-            -MaximumRetryCount $MaxRetries `
-            -RetryIntervalSec 2 `
+            -TimeoutSec $TimeoutSec `
+            -MaximumRetryCount $MaximumRetryCount `
+            -RetryIntervalSec $RetryIntervalSec `
             -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)" `
             -SkipHttpErrorCheck
 
@@ -114,9 +118,9 @@ function Test-HttpLink {
             Write-Verbose "HEAD request failed with $($response.StatusCode), retrying with GET for: $Url"
             $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Url `
                 -Method Get `
-                -TimeoutSec $Timeout `
-                -MaximumRetryCount $MaxRetries `
-                -RetryIntervalSec 2 `
+                -TimeoutSec $TimeoutSec `
+                -MaximumRetryCount $MaximumRetryCount `
+                -RetryIntervalSec $RetryIntervalSec `
                 -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)" `
                 -SkipHttpErrorCheck
         }
diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
index fc5b51f733d..07032ea8163 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ inputs:
     description: 'Path to the directory containing markdown files to verify'
     required: false
     default: './CHANGELOG'
-  timeout:
+  timeout-sec:
     description: 'Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests'
     required: false
     default: '30'
-  max-retries:
+  maximum-retry-count:
     description: 'Maximum number of retries for failed requests'
     required: false
     default: '2'
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ runs:
         # Build parameters for each file
         $params = @{
           File = $changedFiles
-          Timeout = [int]'${{ inputs.timeout }}'
-          MaxRetries = [int]'${{ inputs.max-retries }}'
+          TimeoutSec = [int]'${{ inputs.timeout-sec }}'
+          MaximumRetryCount = [int]'${{ inputs.maximum-retry-count }}'
         }
 
         # Run the verification script

From c8219a8de6e209807f939430f581b4e75f24e6f1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:50:16 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 16/20] Remove unused 'path' input from markdown link
 verification action and workflow

---
 .../actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml |  4 ----
 .github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml         | 13 ++-----------
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
index 07032ea8163..1d6d0864784 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/action.yml
@@ -3,10 +3,6 @@ description: 'Verify all links in markdown files using PowerShell and Markdig'
 author: 'PowerShell Team'
 
 inputs:
-  path:
-    description: 'Path to the directory containing markdown files to verify'
-    required: false
-    default: './CHANGELOG'
   timeout-sec:
     description: 'Timeout in seconds for HTTP requests'
     required: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
index 88b1910a4a3..db9fb7e416a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify-markdown-links.yml
@@ -15,11 +15,6 @@ on:
     # Run weekly on Sundays at midnight UTC to catch external link rot
     - cron: '0 0 * * 0'
   workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      path:
-        description: 'Path to verify (default: all markdown files)'
-        required: false
-        default: '.'
 
 jobs:
   verify-markdown-links:
@@ -33,9 +28,5 @@ jobs:
         id: verify
         uses: ./.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks
         with:
-          path: ${{ github.event.inputs.path || '.' }}
-          fail-on-error: 'true'
-          timeout: 30
-          max-retries: 2
-          # Exclude internal or known temporary unavailable links
-          exclude-patterns: ''
+          timeout-sec: 30
+          maximum-retry-count: 2

From d52afcc4d3d4f572974c93415ff1904dc06615a1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Travis Plunk (HE/HIM)" <tplunk@ntdev.microsoft.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:38:49 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 17/20] Update README.md to add workflow testing instructions
 and broken link test example

---
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md    | 19 ++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
index 3da3ac2a4d4..e566ec2bcc3 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/README.md
@@ -80,7 +80,20 @@ The action automatically skips the following link types:
 - **Anchor links** (`#section-name`) - Would require full markdown parsing
 - **Email links** (`mailto:user@example.com`) - Cannot be verified without sending email
 
-## Example Workflow
+## GitHub Workflow Test
+
+This section provides a workflow example and instructions for testing the link verification action.
+
+### Testing the Workflow
+
+To test that the workflow properly detects broken links:
+
+1. Make change to this file (e.g., this README.md file already contains one in the [Broken Link Test](#broken-link-test) section)
+1. The workflow will run and should fail, reporting the broken link(s)
+1. Revert your change to this file
+1. Push again to verify the workflow passes
+
+### Example Workflow Configuration
 
 ```yaml
 name: Verify Links
@@ -155,6 +168,10 @@ Failed Links:
 - PowerShell 7+ (includes Markdig)
 - Runs on: `ubuntu-latest`, `windows-latest`, `macos-latest`
 
+## Broken Link Test
+
+- [Broken Link](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/wiki/NonExistentPage404)
+
 ## License
 
 Same as the PowerShell repository.

From 3eb6e9600e0d3a46820ee09b79813986e5f07eb2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Travis Plunk <travis.plunk@microsoft.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:52:23 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 18/20] Update
 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1

Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1        | 1 -
 1 file changed, 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index f2a50eeaa78..fd41a0d797f 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -315,4 +315,3 @@ if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
     Write-Verbose -Verbose "Summary written to GitHub Actions step summary"
 }
 
-exit 0

From d2ca554e18503bc29213eabf6efd6f8a0e3ffe6e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Travis Plunk <travis.plunk@microsoft.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:59:29 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 19/20] Fix indentation and improve code readability

---
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1       | 4 +++-
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
index c49144b16d8..a56d696eb6e 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Parse-MarkdownLink.ps1
@@ -165,7 +165,9 @@ function Parse-ChangelogFiles {
         } catch {
             Write-Warning "Error processing file $($file.Name): $($_.Exception.Message)"
         }
-    }    # Filter by link type if specified
+    }   
+    
+    # Filter by link type if specified
     if ($LinkType -ne "All") {
         $allLinks = $allLinks | Where-Object { $_.Type -eq $LinkType }
     }

From fe9f61ef24a919940f4f27bc913d4087a797c6cb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Travis Plunk <travis.plunk@microsoft.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:18:30 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 20/20] Update
 .github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1

Co-authored-by: xtqqczze <45661989+xtqqczze@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .../infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1       | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1 b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
index fd41a0d797f..f50ab1590b9 100644
--- a/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
+++ b/.github/actions/infrastructure/markdownlinks/Verify-MarkdownLinks.ps1
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ function Test-HttpLink {
             -TimeoutSec $TimeoutSec `
             -MaximumRetryCount $MaximumRetryCount `
             -RetryIntervalSec $RetryIntervalSec `
-            -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com)" `
+            -UserAgent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; GitHubActions/1.0; +https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell)" `
             -SkipHttpErrorCheck
 
         # If HEAD fails with 404 or 405, retry with GET (some servers don't support HEAD)