_safe_compare coerced both operands to int/float unconditionally for <, >, <=,
>=. any non-numeric string (an iso date, a version tag, a name) failed that
coercion and the whole comparison silently returned False -- so
`{{ inputs.d < '2026-02-01' }}` was False even when the date was earlier.
only coerce when both operands look numeric; otherwise compare the original
values, so two strings order lexicographically the way python does and two
numeric strings still compare as numbers ("10" > "9"). a number vs a
non-numeric string stays incomparable and yields False.
add a regression test covering dates, plain strings, numeric strings, and the
number-vs-string case.
44c112c807