diff --git a/.github/scripts/c-comments b/.github/scripts/c-comments
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f8c30cf0f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/c-comments
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+# Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: curl
+
+# Output all the C comments and double-quoted strings in the given source
+# files. All other contents should be blanked out. Output the text at the same
+# horizontal position as in the original file.
+#
+# Ignores strings for the preprocessor.
+#
+## States
+#
+# 0 - default, initial state
+# 1 - there was a slash
+# 2 - quoted string
+# 3 - // comment
+# 4 - /* comment
+# 5 - asterisk found within a /* comment
+# 6 - #include line
+# 7 - backslash in a string
+# 8 - backslash in plain code
+# 9 - single quote in plain code
+#
+## Flags
+#
+# 1 - include preprocessor line, ignore strings
+
+sub scanline {
+    my ($col, $state, $flags, $l) = @_;
+    my $line;
+
+    if($state == 3) {
+        # // ended on the prev line, go back to init
+        $state = 0;
+    }
+
+    if(($state == 0) && ($l =~ /^ *\# *include/)) {
+        # preprocessor include line
+        $flags |= 1;
+    }
+    else {
+        # not preprocessor
+        $flags &= ~1;
+    }
+
+    my @c = split(//, $l);
+
+    # state machine this line
+    for my $c (@c) {
+        if($state == 1) {
+            # we had a slash
+            if($c eq "/") {
+                # // confirmed, the rest of the line is a comment
+                $line .= "//";
+                $state = 3;
+            }
+            elsif($c eq "*") {
+                # /* confirmed
+                $state = 4;
+                $line .= "/*";
+            }
+            else {
+                # back to normal
+                $line .= "  ";
+                $state = 0;
+            }
+        }
+        elsif($state == 2) {
+            # a string
+            if($c eq "\\") {
+                $line .= "\\";
+                $state = 7;
+            }
+            elsif($c eq "\"") {
+                # end of the string
+                $line .= "\"";
+                $state = 0;
+            }
+            else {
+                $line .= $c;
+            }
+        }
+        elsif($state == 3) {
+            # a // comment
+            $line .= $c;
+        }
+        elsif($state == 4) {
+            # an ongoing /* comment
+            if($c eq "*") {
+                # could a comment close
+                $state = 5;
+            }
+            else {
+                $line .= $c;
+            }
+        }
+        elsif($state == 5) {
+            if($c eq "/") {
+                # a /* */ comment ended here */
+                $line .= "*/";
+                $state = 0;
+            }
+            else {
+                # the /* comment continues
+                $line .= "*$c";
+                $state = 4;
+            }
+        }
+        elsif($state == 7) {
+            # the prev was a backslash in a string
+            $line .= $c;
+            # switch back to normal string
+            $state = 2;
+        }
+        elsif($state == 8) {
+            # the prev was a backslash in code
+            if($c eq "\n") {
+                $line .= $c;
+            }
+            else {
+                #$line .= " ";
+            }
+            # switch back to plain code
+            $state = 0;
+        }
+        elsif($state == 9) {
+            # the prev was a single quote in code
+            if($c eq "\n") {
+                $line .= $c;
+                # switch back to plain code
+                $state = 0;
+            }
+            elsif($c eq "\\") {
+                # a backslash followed the quote
+                $line .= " ";
+                $state = 8;
+            }
+            else {
+                # switch back to plain code
+                $state = 0;
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            if($c eq "\\") {
+                # got a backslash
+                $line .= " ";
+                $state = 8
+            }
+            elsif($c eq "\'") {
+                # got a single quote
+                $line .= " ";
+                $state = 9
+            }
+            if($c eq "/") {
+                $state = 1; # got a slash
+            }
+            elsif(($c eq "\"") && !($flags & 1)) {
+                # start of a string, not within a preprocessor line
+                $line .= "\"";
+                $state = 2;
+            }
+            elsif($c eq "\n") {
+                $line .= "\n";
+            }
+            else {
+                $line .= " ";
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    # strip trailing space
+    $line =~ s/( +)\n/\n/;
+    return $state, $flags, $line;
+}
+
+sub strip {
+    my ($f) = @_;
+    my $state = 0;
+    my $flags = 0;
+    open(F, "<$f") || die "can't open $f";
+    while(<F>) {
+        my $l = $_;
+        ($state, $flags, $line) = scanline(0, $state, $flags, $l);
+        print "$line";
+    }
+    close(F);
+}
+
+for my $f (@ARGV) {
+    strip($f);
+}
diff --git a/.github/scripts/c-strip b/.github/scripts/c-strip
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..6b5cfbf863
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/c-strip
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: curl
+
+./.github/scripts/c-comments "$1" > temp
+mv temp "$1"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/checksrc.yml b/.github/workflows/checksrc.yml
index a5d18356db..f6a2ec84e5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/checksrc.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/checksrc.yml
@@ -66,20 +66,6 @@ jobs:
           source ~/venv/bin/activate
           reuse lint
 
-      - name: 'codespell'
-        run: |
-          source ~/venv/bin/activate
-          codespell --version
-          .github/scripts/codespell.sh
-
-      - name: 'typos'
-        timeout-minutes: 2
-        run: |
-          /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew install typos-cli
-          eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
-          typos --version
-          .github/scripts/typos.sh
-
       - name: 'cmakelint'
         run: |
           source ~/venv/bin/activate
@@ -96,6 +82,24 @@ jobs:
           source ~/venv/bin/activate
           scripts/pythonlint.sh
 
+      - name: filter off code from all C and H files
+        run: |
+          git ls-files -z '**.[ch]' | xargs -0 -r -n1 ./.github/scripts/c-strip
+
+      - name: 'codespell'
+        run: |
+          source ~/venv/bin/activate
+          codespell --version
+          .github/scripts/codespell.sh
+
+      - name: 'typos'
+        timeout-minutes: 2
+        run: |
+          /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew install typos-cli
+          eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
+          typos --version
+          .github/scripts/typos.sh
+
   pytype:
     name: 'pytype'
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm  # pytype is discontinued and requires python 3.8-3.12