Fixes #6775: Guard ExtensionLoader joins during concurrent initialization - #7140

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: ./actions/paths-filter, actions/checkout@v3. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/