diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-docs.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-docs.yml
index 831a49ad3e2719..4f8905f800536d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-docs.yml
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ jobs:
       continue-on-error: true
       run: |
         # Mark files the pull request modified
-        touch ${{ steps.changed_files.outputs.added_modified }}
+        python Doc/tools/touch-clean-files.py --clean ${{ steps.changed_files.outputs.added_modified }}
         # Build docs with the '-n' (nit-picky) option; convert warnings to annotations
         make -C Doc/ PYTHON=../python SPHINXOPTS="-q -n --keep-going" html 2>&1 |
             python Doc/tools/warnings-to-gh-actions.py
diff --git a/Doc/tools/touch-clean-files.py b/Doc/tools/touch-clean-files.py
index 19bc1be31deb26..78454c824eb79e 100644
--- a/Doc/tools/touch-clean-files.py
+++ b/Doc/tools/touch-clean-files.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 Touch files that must pass Sphinx nit-picky mode
 so they are rebuilt and we can catch regressions.
 """
-
+import argparse
+import csv
 from pathlib import Path
 
 wrong_directory_msg = "Must run this script from the repo root"
@@ -28,14 +29,28 @@
     rst for rst in Path("Doc/").rglob("*.rst") if rst.parts[1] not in EXCLUDE_SUBDIRS
 }
 
-with Path("Doc/tools/.nitignore").open() as clean_files:
-    DIRTY = {
+
+parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+    description=__doc__, formatter_class=argparse.RawDescriptionHelpFormatter
+)
+parser.add_argument("-c", "--clean", help="Comma-separated list of clean files")
+args = parser.parse_args()
+
+if args.clean:
+    clean_files = next(csv.reader([args.clean]))
+    CLEAN = {
         Path(filename.strip())
         for filename in clean_files
-        if filename.strip() and not filename.startswith("#")
+        if Path(filename.strip()).is_file()
     }
-
-CLEAN = ALL_RST - DIRTY - EXCLUDE_FILES
+else:
+    with Path("Doc/tools/.nitignore").open() as ignored_files:
+        IGNORED = {
+            Path(filename.strip())
+            for filename in ignored_files
+            if filename.strip() and not filename.startswith("#")
+        }
+    CLEAN = ALL_RST - IGNORED - EXCLUDE_FILES
 
 print("Touching:")
 for filename in sorted(CLEAN):