diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 9f07eba44344..3d2629290b57 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ on:
   pull_request:
     branches-ignore:
       - v[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9x]+-doc
+    paths-ignore:
+      # Skip running tests if changes are only in documentation directories
+      - 'doc/**'
+      - 'examples/**'
+      - 'plot_types/**'
+      - 'tutorials/**'
   schedule:
     # 5:47 UTC on Saturdays
     - cron: "47 5 * * 6"