INVENTORY_MODE scratchpad action and protobuf update - #36

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: actions/checkout@v4, actions/setup-python@v5, arduino/setup-protoc@v3, benjlevesque/short-sha@v2.1. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/