Fireshift / Free tools / Consent mode checker for GTM
Consent mode checker for GTM
Paste a GTM container ID. See whether the container sets Consent Mode defaults, what they are, and which tags fire without any consent check. Read from the public container, in your browser.
Your browser fetches the public container from www.googletagmanager.com. Nothing goes to Fireshift.
Consent banner and defaults
What this can and can't tell you
A published GTM container carries more consent information than most people expect. This tool reads three things from it:
- Banner templates that set consent state. Every custom template lists its permissions in the container. A template allowed to write consent (Cookiebot, CookieYes, Usercentrics, OneTrust and other CMP templates) is the one that sets Consent Mode defaults. Many templates also carry the default values in their settings, so we show them, per region where the template has region rows.
- gtag consent calls in Custom HTML. A
gtag('consent', 'default', {…})inside a Custom HTML tag, with its values. - Each tag's additional consent checks. The "Require additional consent for tag to fire" setting compiles into the tag as a list
like
ad_storage. Google's own tags (Google Ads, GA4, Floodlight, conversion linker) have built-in consent checks and follow Consent Mode. Third-party tags and Custom HTML don't, unless you add a check or fire them from a consent-based trigger.
It can't tell you:
- Whether defaults are set in the page code, above the GTM snippet. That is a valid setup, and a container with no defaults may still be fine.
- Whether the banner actually works: shows up, stores the choice, sends the update. That needs a real visit.
- Which region a visitor falls in, or what the banner's own dashboard settings are.
- Whether a trigger named after consent really waits for it. We flag triggers that look consent-based and leave the judgement to you.
- Whether your setup meets any law. This is a reading of settings, not legal advice.
To see what actually fires before anyone clicks accept, open the site in a private window, don't touch the banner, and watch the Network tab, or run the free scan, which loads the page like a first-time visitor and records the hits.
FAQ
Is Consent Mode the same as a cookie banner?
No. The banner asks the visitor. Consent Mode is how Google tags learn the answer: a default before the choice, an update after it. Without the default and the update, Google tags don't know what the visitor chose.
Why are third-party tags flagged and Google tags not?
Google's tags read Consent Mode on their own. A Meta pixel, LinkedIn Insight tag or Custom HTML tag doesn't. It fires whenever its trigger fires, unless the tag has an additional consent requirement or the trigger waits for consent. More in Meta Pixel firing before cookie consent.
The checker says no defaults, but we have a banner. Is that wrong?
Not necessarily. Many sites set the default with a gtag('consent', 'default', …) script in the page head, before GTM loads, or let the banner script do it. That code isn't in the container. Check the page source.
What does 'trigger looks consent-based' mean?
The tag has no consent setting, but its trigger mentions consent, a cookie banner or a consent cookie, for example a Custom Event named cookie_consent_marketing. That is a common way to gate tags. We can't prove it waits for the right choice, so we mark it for a manual look.
Does this make my site compliant?
No tool that reads settings can say that. This shows what the container is configured to do. Whether the setup is right for your visitors and your legal basis is a question for whoever owns privacy at your company.
Want the whole picture, not one container?
The free scan loads your site like a visitor, reads every tag it serves and flags conversions that are not real leads. No install, about a minute.
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