the product
Google Consent Mode
Consent Mode is Google's way of being told what a visitor chose, so Google tags behave accordingly. CookieCrumbs sets the defaults before any tag runs and passes every decision on, mapped from your own categories.
how it worksDefaults first, updates on decision
Before any Google tag runs, the snippet sets every Consent Mode v2 signal to denied. When the visitor decides, the granted categories are translated into signal updates. The order matters, which is why the install rules insist the CookieCrumbs tag is the first script in the head, and why the install check verifies that the defaults really were set before your tags.
mappingCategories to signals
Each of your categories maps to Google's signals; the defaults follow the obvious lines and the mapping table in Rules shows exactly what each category tells Google:
| Signal | Typical category | Governs |
|---|---|---|
analytics_storage | Analytics | Measurement cookies (Google Analytics). |
ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization | Marketing | Advertising cookies, sending user data to Google's ads systems, personalised advertising. |
functionality_storage, security_storage | Necessary | What the site needs to work. |
personalization_storage | Preferences | Remembered settings. |
The editor warns loudly if advertising signals end up attached to a category other than Marketing, because a visitor saying yes to something innocuous would then also be telling Google Ads it may advertise. That warning is worth taking seriously.
modesBasic and advanced
In basic mode (the default), Google tags stay blocked until consent and receive the signals when they load. In advanced mode, Google tags load immediately but cookieless, sending anonymous pings until consent is granted; Google models the gaps. Advanced trades stricter blocking for measurement continuity and is a genuine judgement call, which is why it sits behind an explicit choice (and a plan gate). Supporting options: a wait-for-update window, redacting ads data, and URL passthrough.
gtmTag Manager
Using Google Tag Manager, the CookieCrumbs tag must still be pasted directly into the page, above the tag manager: a tag fired from inside GTM runs too late to set the defaults. A GTM template and a fallback snippet are provided in the editor's Consent Mode screen so your tags can key on the consent state.
The container script itself (googletagmanager.com/gtm.js) is held like any other tracker until its category is granted; the stock rule files it under marketing, separately from the plain GA4 tag on the same host, because a container usually fires advertising tags too. While it is held, Tag Assistant cannot connect and GTM's Consent Initialization trigger never fires before a choice. If you would rather let the container load and rely on Consent Mode for the tags inside it, set Tag Manager container to Load it, gate the tags inside in the editor's Consent Mode screen (consent_mode.gtm_container: "load"). The consent defaults are still on the data layer before the container runs.
verificationProving it
The install check loads your page in a real browser and verifies, among other things, that the Consent Mode defaults were set before any tag ran. The scanner also observes the signals during its denied-consent visit, so a misconfiguration shows up as a finding rather than staying invisible.