fix(state): persist json checkpoints as utf-8 - #7257

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: actions/checkout@34e114876b0b11c390a56381ad16ebd13914f8d5, dorny/paths-filter@d1c1ffe0248fe513906c8e24db8ea791d46f8590. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/