diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-single-docker-image.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-single-docker-image.yml
index ccfe35d..2878937 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-single-docker-image.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-single-docker-image.yml
@@ -71,7 +71,29 @@ jobs:
         ref: ${{ inputs.github_ref_after }}
         token: ${{secrets.SA_GITHUB_PAT}}
         fetch-depth: 0
+    - name: Validate github_ref_before and github_ref_after
+      id: validate-inputs
+      run: |
+        echo "Check validity of github_ref_before.."
+        if git cat-file -e ${{ inputs.github_ref_before }}^{commit}; then
+          "github_ref_before='${{ inputs.github_ref_before }}' is a commit!✅"
+        else
+          echo "github_ref_before='${{ inputs.github_ref_before }}' is not a commit!❌ -> Rebuild image!"
+          echo "validation_failed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          exit 0
+        fi
+        echo "Check validity of github_ref_after.."
+        if git cat-file -e ${{ inputs.github_ref_after }}^{commit}; then
+          "github_ref_after='${{ inputs.github_ref_after }}' is a commit!✅"
+        else
+          echo "github_ref_after='${{ inputs.github_ref_after }}' is not a commit!❌ -> Rebuild image!"
+          echo "validation_failed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          exit 0
+        fi
+        echo "validation_failed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+      working-directory: source
     - name: Parse depends_on_paths
+      if: steps.validate-inputs.outputs.validation_failed == 'false'
       id: setup-regex
       shell: python3 {0}
       working-directory: source
@@ -94,27 +116,6 @@ jobs:
         # set the regex as an output
         with open(os.environ["GITHUB_OUTPUT"], "a") as f:
           f.write(f"regex={regex}\n")
-    - name: Validate github_ref_before and github_ref_after
-      id: validate-inputs
-      run: |
-        echo "Check validity of github_ref_before.."
-        if git cat-file -e $sha^{commit}; then
-          "github_ref_before='${{ inputs.github_ref_before }}' is a commit!✅"
-        else
-          echo "github_ref_before='${{ inputs.github_ref_before }}' is not a commit!❌ -> Rebuild image!"
-          echo "validation_failed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          exit 0
-        fi
-        echo "Check validity of github_ref_after.."
-        if git cat-file -e $sha^{commit}; then
-          "github_ref_after='${{ inputs.github_ref_after }}' is a commit!✅"
-        else
-          echo "github_ref_after='${{ inputs.github_ref_after }}' is not a commit!❌ -> Rebuild image!"
-          echo "validation_failed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          exit 0
-        fi
-        echo "validation_failed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-      working-directory: source
     - name: Get changed files
       if: steps.validate-inputs.outputs.validation_failed == 'false'
       id: check