@c15t/scripts 3.0.0-alpha.2 → 3.0.0-alpha.4

package/docs/{guides → concepts}/consent-state.md

@@ -1,24 +1,14 @@
 ---
-title: Understand consent state
-description: Distinguish policy resolution, effective permissions, explicit
-  choices, notices and privacy signals.
-group: guides
+title: Consent state reference
+description: How c15t saves choices, gates IAB vendors, hydrates server records
+  and keeps browser tabs and storage in step.
+group: concepts
 ---
 
-## Use effective permissions to gate features
-
-`effectivePermissions` answers whether a category is allowed now. It combines
-the resolved policy, stored choices and privacy signals. Under an opt-out rule,
-permission can be true before the visitor acts. It is not evidence of a recorded
-grant.
-
-| Task                                        | State or API                                         |
-| ------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
-| Load a script or render an optional feature | `effectivePermissions`, React `useConsent(category)` |
-| Inspect what the visitor confirmed          | `explicitChoice`                                     |
-| Decide whether to show a prompt             | `promptRequirement`                                  |
-| Explain regional behavior                   | `policyRule`                                         |
-| Diagnose initialization                     | `resolution`                                         |
+This reference covers the edge cases behind the model in
+[how consent works](./how-consent-works.md). You need it when you
+build custom consent UI, run c15t across subdomains, or debug a choice that
+changes between tabs.
 
 ## Gate IAB vendors on the TC string
 
@@ -27,7 +17,7 @@ or IAB purposes is an IAB target. It runs only while a confirmed TC string
 grants what it declares: purpose and vendor consent for `iabPurposes`, purpose
 and vendor legitimate interest for `iabLegIntPurposes`, and opt-ins for
 `iabSpecialFeatures`. Every category it names must also be free of
-restrictions, so GPC, an opt-out directive or strict scope blocks it.
+restrictions, so GPC or strict scope blocks it.
 
 A refused category is the one exception. It does not block an IAB target that
 processes only on legitimate interest, after publisher restrictions, because
@@ -37,29 +27,13 @@ itself stays refused: its `effectivePermissions` entry is `false`, and targets
 that name only the category, or that also declare a consent purpose or special
 feature, stay blocked.
 
-## Record only explicit visitor actions
-
-```ts
-// Run in the corresponding click or form-submit handler.
-await kernel.commands.save('all');
-await kernel.commands.save('none');
-await kernel.commands.save({ marketing: false });
-```
-
-These are three separate examples: accept, reject and a partial save. A partial
-save confirms only the supplied categories and keeps the other categories'
-confirmation times. Do not call all three in one handler.
-
-`onChoiceRecorded` reports an explicit choice. `onPermissionsChanged` reports
-changes in effective permissions, including changes caused by expiry or privacy
-signals. Hydration must not be counted as another visitor choice.
-
 ## When a choice is saved
 
 A save records the choice in the browser first and sends it to the backend
 afterwards. The stock banner, preference dialog and IAB surfaces in every
-framework adapter, and the browser client's `acceptAll()`, `rejectAll()`
-and `save()`, close without waiting for the backend. In order:
+framework adapter, and the `acceptAll()`, `rejectAll()` and `save()` methods
+of the browser and Astro clients, close without waiting for the backend. In
+order:
 
 1. In the click task, the explicit choice and effective permissions change,
    `onChoiceRecorded` and `onPermissionsChanged` run, gated scripts, iframes
@@ -79,9 +53,10 @@ and `save()`, close without waiting for the backend. In order:
 
 A failed request does not reopen the surface or roll the choice back. The
 kernel emits `command:error`, which reaches the `onError` callback in adapters
-that accept one, and queues the payload in localStorage. The queue is replayed
-after the next successful initialization and when the browser comes back
-online, up to 10 attempts over 7 days. A replay carries the original action
+that accept one, and queues the payload in localStorage. Where localStorage is
+unavailable, the queue lives in memory until the page unloads. The queue is
+replayed after the next successful initialization and when the browser comes
+back online, up to 10 attempts over 7 days. A replay carries the original action
 time and policy snapshot token, so the backend records when the visitor
 decided, and a duplicate submission resolves to the same consent record. A
 backend that signs policy snapshot tokens rejects a replay made after the
@@ -93,17 +68,13 @@ after its TC string is encoded, which can wait for the TCF library to load.
 If that local step records nothing, for example because the vendor list
 failed to load, the surface comes back so the visitor can try again.
 
-## Treat notices and privacy signals separately
-
-`commands.dismissNotice()` acknowledges the current notice. It does not grant
-categories or overwrite existing denials. Global Privacy Control, or GPC, is a
-browser privacy signal. Its configured restrictions can change permissions
-without creating an explicit choice.
-
-A rule with `prompt: 'none'` can still require a persistent preferences entry
-point. Check the policy's rights instead of hiding preferences merely because
-the banner is absent. An unresolved rule is another distinct state; optional
-permissions stay denied until resolution succeeds.
+Every adapter leaves the same surface after a save: the banner while the
+policy still owes a choice or a notice, and nothing once no prompt is owed,
+while the policy is still loading, or after it failed to resolve. A banner
+the visitor reopened closes too. A save that records nothing new, such as an
+unchanged selection, closes the surface when it resolves successfully. Opening
+or closing a surface, or starting another save, before then leaves the surface
+as the visitor set it.
 
 ## Preserve records during hydration
 
@@ -128,7 +99,8 @@ shows the prompt again.
 Tabs on another subdomain that shares the consent cookie do not share
 localStorage, so the browser sends them no `storage` event. They pick up the
 change on their next focus or visibility change, or when you reconcile
-yourself (see below).
+yourself as described in
+[Reconcile yourself or turn it off](#reconcile-yourself-or-turn-it-off).
 
 The `storage` event only exists for localStorage. When localStorage is
 unavailable (blocked by the browser, a sandboxed frame or a privacy mode) and
@@ -150,8 +122,8 @@ Several triggers in quick succession run one reconciliation in a later task.
 Reconnecting does not read storage, because going online changes nothing in
 browser storage. On reconnect the kernel retries saves the backend did not
 accept and a failed initialization. Save retries do not write the cookie or
-localStorage. A write that follows initialization, such as a Global Privacy
-Control directive, obeys the ordering described below.
+localStorage. A write that follows initialization obeys the rules in
+[Ordering with pending writes](#ordering-with-pending-writes).
 
 Every adapter that mounts browser persistence does this: the React, Next.js and
 TanStack Start providers, Vue, Svelte, Astro, the script tag and
@@ -164,8 +136,6 @@ Stored records are merged into the ones in memory:
 * Category decisions merge per category. Each category keeps the decision with
   the newer confirmation time, so a tab that only changed marketing never
   reverts another tab's newer measurement decision.
-* Privacy directives, such as a Global Privacy Control opt-out, merge as a
-  union. A directive only restricts, so none is dropped.
 * The notice dismissal and the vendor record are single decisions. A stored one
   at least as new as the one in memory replaces it; an older one is ignored.
 * When two tabs record decisions in the same millisecond, the one stored first
@@ -177,38 +147,8 @@ Stored records are merged into the ones in memory:
   resolved (at init, from a prefetch or in a save response) is replaced only by
   a strictly newer stored choice, and an identity set with `identify()` is
   never replaced.
-* Under an IAB policy, the `@c15t/iab` module then loads the TC string the other
-  tab stored, together with its purpose, vendor and special-feature selections,
-  so `__tcfapi` and the preference controls show the choice now in force.
-  Selections the visitor changed in this tab without saving are kept. A missing
-  or older stored TC string leaves the current one in place, unless it conflicts
-  with the reconciled choice: then it is withdrawn and `__tcfapi` reports no
-  consent until the next save. A category denied after the TC string was saved
-  conflicts if the TC string grants any of its purposes. A partial selection
-  saved through IAB, which records its category as denied because not every
-  purpose is granted, keeps its TC string. A TC string confirmed before the
-  choice's newest decision no longer describes it and is withdrawn too, unless
-  a newer receipt replaces it. That receipt is adopted even when its TC string
-  is identical, since TC strings round their time to the day and custom-vendor
-  selections live only in the receipt; its expiry then applies. The TC
-  string and its receipt (`euconsent-v2`, `c15t-iab-authority-v1`) belong to one
-  origin, so after a save on a sibling subdomain that shares the consent cookie,
-  this subdomain reports no consent through `__tcfapi` until it saves again.
-  Vendors never receive the stale TC string in between: it is withdrawn, or
-  held back, before `__tcfapi` publishes. A tab also reloads the TC string
-  when another tab on the same origin stores a new one, which covers a save in
-  the same millisecond or one that changed only vendors. When two tabs save in
-  the same millisecond with different selections, the more restrictive TC
-  string wins in both, so a revoked vendor is never advertised again. If each
-  grants something the other denies, neither is published until the next save:
-  the stored receipt is removed, so a page opened later does not restore it.
-  When another tab removes the receipt, or clears localStorage, the TC string
-  is withdrawn here too, since a page opened now would find none, and a
-  receipt this tab was still decoding is not installed. The removal after a
-  tie checks that the stored receipt is the one it read, but localStorage has
-  no conditional removal, so a receipt another tab stored a moment earlier can
-  still be removed. Every tab then withdraws its TC string until the next save,
-  so the race only ever withholds consent.
+* Under an IAB policy, the TC string follows the reconciled choice. See
+  [How the TC string is reconciled](#how-the-tc-string-is-reconciled).
 * A record removed from readable storage since this tab last saw it present is
   cleared, and the active policy decides again. A record this tab never saw in
   storage, such as a receipt merged from the server after `identify()` or a
@@ -219,8 +159,55 @@ Stored records are merged into the ones in memory:
 Expiry is not decided here. The applied records are evaluated at the time of the
 read, the same way as at startup.
 
+### How the TC string is reconciled
+
+Under an IAB policy, a tab adopts the TC string another tab stored, unless that
+TC string conflicts with the reconciled choice. A conflicting TC string is
+withdrawn, and `__tcfapi` reports no consent until the next save. Vendors never
+receive a stale TC string: c15t withdraws it, or holds it back, before
+`__tcfapi` publishes.
+
+1. The `@c15t/iab` module loads the TC string the other tab stored, with its
+   purpose, vendor and special-feature selections, so `__tcfapi` and the
+   preference controls show the choice now in force. Selections the visitor
+   changed in this tab without saving are kept.
+2. A missing or older stored TC string leaves the current one in place, unless
+   the current one conflicts with the reconciled choice. Then it is withdrawn.
+3. A category denied after the TC string was saved conflicts if the TC string
+   grants any of its purposes. A partial selection saved through IAB, which
+   records its category as denied because not every purpose is granted, keeps
+   its TC string.
+4. A TC string confirmed before the choice's newest decision no longer
+   describes it and is withdrawn, unless a newer receipt replaces it. That
+   receipt is adopted even when its TC string is identical, because TC strings
+   round their time to the day and custom-vendor selections live only in the
+   receipt. The receipt's expiry then applies.
+5. The TC string and its receipt (`euconsent-v2`, `c15t-iab-authority-v1`)
+   belong to one origin. After a save on a sibling subdomain that shares the
+   consent cookie, this subdomain reports no consent through `__tcfapi` until
+   it saves again.
+6. A tab reloads the TC string when another tab on the same origin stores a
+   new one. This covers a save in the same millisecond, or one that changed
+   only vendors.
+7. When two tabs save in the same millisecond with different selections, the
+   more restrictive TC string wins in both, so a revoked vendor is never
+   advertised again. If each grants something the other denies, neither is
+   published until the next save, and the stored receipt is removed so a page
+   opened later does not restore it.
+8. When another tab removes the receipt or clears localStorage, this tab
+   withdraws its TC string too, because a page opened now would find none. A
+   receipt this tab was still decoding is not installed.
+9. The removal after a tie checks that the stored receipt is the one it read.
+   localStorage has no conditional removal, so a receipt another tab stored a
+   moment earlier can still be removed. Every tab then withdraws its TC string
+   until the next save, so the race only ever withholds consent.
+
 ### Clearing records across tabs
 
+`clearRecords()` also drops every save queued for replay, with or without
+browser persistence, so nothing the visitor decided before the clear reaches
+the backend afterwards.
+
 `clearRecords()` removes every record and then stores the time of the clear,
 the clear epoch, under its own key: `c15t-epoch` in localStorage and a cookie
 of the same name (`<storageKey>-epoch` with a custom `storageKey`). Clearing
@@ -295,15 +282,14 @@ cookie takes, for example because storage is full, the older localStorage copy
 is removed.
 
 When a server render seeded the page from the consent cookie
-(`skipHydration`), that seed stays authoritative. A denial or privacy directive
-that reached only localStorage is still applied on top of it when the page
-mounts, since it can only restrict, if it is newer than the seeded decision or
-from the same millisecond as a seeded grant. A stored grant is not.
-
-The notice dismissal, privacy directives and vendor denials are stored twice
-as well. Privacy directives from both copies all apply. A vendor list in
-localStorage at least as new as the cookie's adds its denials but never lifts
-one the cookie holds; a copy confirmed before the last clear is ignored, so its
+(`skipHydration`), that seed stays authoritative. A denial that reached only
+localStorage is still applied on top of it when the page mounts, since it can
+only restrict, if it is newer than the seeded decision or from the same
+millisecond as a seeded grant. A stored grant is not.
+
+The notice dismissal and vendor denials are stored twice as well. A vendor
+list in localStorage at least as new as the cookie's adds its denials but never
+lifts one the cookie holds; a copy confirmed before the last clear is ignored, so its
 denials never come back. The newer notice dismissal applies; it still only hides a
 notice with the fingerprint it names. The consent record follows the rules
 below.
@@ -343,20 +329,18 @@ A tab writes its own choices in a later task, not during the click. Before it
 reads storage, it lands its own queued writes, so a reconciliation never undoes
 the visitor's latest action in that tab. A queued write follows the same rules
 as a read: it stores the per-category merge of its choice and the stored one,
-the union of directives, and never replaces a newer notice or vendor record. It
-keeps the stored subject unless this tab identified a different user.
+and never replaces a newer notice or vendor record. It keeps the stored subject
+unless this tab identified a different user.
 When a slow save response returns a server subject id, the tab adds it only to
 the record it wrote; it does not recreate records another tab cleared or
 overwrite another tab's newer choice.
 
 Two tabs that write at the same moment can both read storage before either
-writes, and the later write can then drop the other tab's category or privacy
-directive. The tab whose decision was dropped still holds it, and on its next
+writes, and the later write can then drop the other tab's category decision.
+The tab whose decision was dropped still holds it, and on its next
 reconciliation it writes it back, merged with what storage holds. It does so
 only for decisions it actually stored itself, never for one a clear voided or
-another tab replaced with a newer one. A directive write stores the directives
-it kept from storage too, so if another write drops one of those, this tab
-restores it and applies it as well.
+another tab replaced with a newer one.
 
 If another tab's change reaches this tab while one of its saves is pending, the
 save depends on how far it got. A save not yet sent is dropped. A request

package/docs/{guides → concepts}/data-fetching.md

@@ -1,23 +1,17 @@
 ---
-title: Data fetching and transports
-description: Choose cached manifests, backend init or offline policy resolution,
-  and understand where consent records are saved.
-group: guides
+title: Data fetching
+description: How c15t gets policy data through a cached manifest, backend /init,
+  the browser or offline rules, and where consent choices are saved.
+group: concepts
 ---
 
-## Start with Inth and a cached manifest
+## Compare the fetching paths
 
-Use Inth for managed policy and consent records. For a Next.js application with
-a server, use a cached manifest to resolve policy in your application. Route
-browser consent traffic directly to Inth, or optionally use a Next.js rewrite
-to keep those requests on your app's origin. Follow the
-[Next.js manifest setup](https://c15t.com/docs/frameworks/next/data-fetching).
-
-Backend ownership and data fetching are separate decisions. Inth manages the
-backend for you. A [self-hosted backend](https://c15t.com/docs/self-host/quickstart) uses the same
-protocol while you operate its database, policies and availability. A static
-site can still call Inth. Only `offline()` deliberately removes consent backend
-requests and stores choices locally.
+Where policy resolves and where choices are saved are separate from who runs
+the backend. Inth and a [self-hosted backend](https://c15t.com/docs/self-host/quickstart) speak
+the same protocol, so every path below works with either. Only `offline()`
+removes backend requests. For a recommendation by framework, start with
+[choose your setup](./choose-your-setup.md).
 
 | Fetching path                  | Where policy resolves                                                                 | Where choices are submitted | Choose it when                                                                                         |
 | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
@@ -44,6 +38,16 @@ Do not put secrets, visitor identifiers or consent records into a manifest.
 Keep personalized init responses out of shared caches. Changing a policy also
 requires a refresh strategy for cached or build-time manifests.
 
+## How manifest mode counts visitors
+
+The backend counts visitors from `/init` requests, and manifest resolution
+skips them. To keep the count, the server adapters send a session report after
+each resolution: the host posts to the backend's `POST /sessions` from the
+server, after the response. The browser sends nothing, and the report stores
+no identity; the visitor's IP address and user agent are forwarded under the
+backend's usual IP handling. Static output resolves in the browser and sends
+no report. Set `reportSessions: false` on an adapter to turn it off.
+
 ## What does regular `/init` do?
 
 `hosted({ url })` uses `${url}/init` for initialization and `${url}/subjects` for
@@ -54,7 +58,7 @@ can belong to Inth or your own c15t backend.
 import { hosted } from 'c15t';
 
 export function createConsentMode(backendURL: string) {
-  return hosted({ url: backendURL });
+	return hosted({ url: backendURL });
 }
 ```
 
@@ -81,9 +85,9 @@ separate policy reads and record writes. With a backend rewrite mounted at
 import { hosted } from 'c15t';
 
 export const mode = hosted({
-  url: '/api/c15t',
-  initURL: '/api/c15t/init',
-  assertDecisionInputs: true,
+	url: '/api/c15t',
+	initURL: '/api/c15t/init',
+	assertDecisionInputs: true,
 });
 ```
 
@@ -105,11 +109,11 @@ and TLS connection to the consent backend. The app server still connects to
 the upstream backend for manifest refreshes and consent writes. Vendor scripts
 and vendor requests keep their own origins.
 
-Set the absolute upstream endpoint through `C15T_BACKEND_URL` in Next.js server
-configuration. The endpoint URL is public connection information, not a secret.
-The browser uses `/api/c15t` without needing the upstream URL. A static export
-cannot serve a Next.js route or rewrite at runtime; use the absolute Inth URL or
-a proxy provided by the static host instead.
+The rewrite destination and the init route use the absolute upstream endpoint,
+such as `https://your-project.inth.app`. The browser uses `/api/c15t` without
+needing the upstream URL. A static export cannot serve a Next.js route or
+rewrite at runtime; use the absolute Inth URL or a proxy provided by the static
+host instead.
 
 ## When should I use offline mode?
 
@@ -134,7 +138,7 @@ export const mode = offline();
 With no `policyRules`, the current offline transport uses the recommended rule
 pack. Supplying `policyRules` replaces that pack. Unknown country and region are
 real resolution inputs; offline mode does not discover a visitor's location.
-Use [policy rules](https://c15t.com/docs/frameworks/next/concepts/policy-presets) to understand
+Use [policy rules](./policies.md) to understand
 matching and defaults, and test the missing-location case.
 
 Offline mode is an explicit architecture choice, not an automatic fallback for
@@ -160,4 +164,4 @@ refresh. In the recommended Next.js setup, the browser should call only
 upstream destinations.
 
 Test different locations, missing location headers, GPC, returning choices and
-backend failure. See [verification](./verify-consent.md).
+backend failure. See [verification](../guides/verify-consent.md).

package/docs/concepts/how-consent-works.md

@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+---
+title: How consent works
+description: What c15t decides on each page load, the difference between a
+  permission and a recorded choice, and what happens when a visitor saves.
+group: concepts
+---
+
+## What c15t decides on each page load
+
+On every page load c15t answers one question for each consent category: is
+this allowed right now? To answer it, c15t:
+
+1. Selects a **policy** for the visitor, usually by country and region. The
+   policy says whether optional categories start denied (opt-in) or allowed
+   (opt-out), and whether to show a banner.
+2. Reads the visitor's **stored choice** from a cookie and localStorage, if
+   there is one that still matches the policy.
+3. Reads **privacy signals** such as Global Privacy Control (GPC).
+
+The result is a set of **permissions**, one per category. Components, script
+loaders, embeds and your own code read those permissions. Nothing optional
+runs until the policy has resolved: while it loads, and if it fails, every
+optional category is denied.
+
+A banner is only the interface. It does not stop a script you load with a
+plain `<script>` tag or a vendor SDK you initialize yourself. To gate that code,
+register it with c15t. See [integrations](../integrations/overview.md).
+
+## Categories
+
+| Category        | Use it for                                         |
+| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
+| `necessary`     | Code the site cannot work without. Always allowed. |
+| `functionality` | Optional features such as support chat.            |
+| `measurement`   | Analytics and usage measurement.                   |
+| `experience`    | Personalization.                                   |
+| `marketing`     | Advertising, retargeting and pixels.               |
+
+Assign a category by what the code does, not by what would be convenient.
+Calling analytics `necessary` does not make it necessary.
+[Consent categories](./consent-categories.md) explains which
+categories the preference dialog shows and how policy scope affects them.
+
+## Policies
+
+A policy has a **model** and a **prompt**:
+
+| Model     | Optional categories before a choice                               |
+| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `opt-in`  | Denied until the visitor allows them.                             |
+| `opt-out` | Allowed until the visitor refuses them or sends a privacy signal. |
+| `iab`     | Controlled by an IAB TCF consent string.                          |
+| `none`    | Allowed, with no prompt.                                          |
+
+| Prompt   | What the visitor sees                                                          |
+| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| `choice` | A banner asking for a decision.                                                |
+| `notice` | A notice they can dismiss. Dismissing records an acknowledgement, not consent. |
+| `none`   | Nothing on load. The policy can still require a way to open preferences.       |
+
+With [Inth](https://inth.com) you manage policies in your project, and the app
+receives them from the backend. Changing a stylesheet or importing a preset in
+the browser does not override a hosted policy.
+[Policies](./policies.md) covers presets, scope, and why a banner may
+not appear.
+
+## A permission is not a recorded choice
+
+These two values answer different questions, and mixing them up is the most
+common integration bug:
+
+* **Permission** (`effectivePermissions`, `useConsent('measurement')`) answers
+  "may this run now?" Under an opt-out policy it can be `true` before the
+  visitor has done anything.
+* **Recorded choice** (`explicitChoice`) answers "what did the visitor decide?"
+  It only changes when the visitor accepts, rejects or saves preferences.
+
+| Task                                                 | Read                |
+| ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------- |
+| Load a script or render an optional feature          | Permission          |
+| Show what the visitor chose, or report consent rates | Recorded choice     |
+| Decide whether a prompt is needed                    | `promptRequirement` |
+| Find out why a region behaves differently            | `policyRule`        |
+| Check that the policy loaded                         | `resolution.status` |
+
+Never turn a permission into a saved choice. Hydrating server state, reading a
+cookie or rendering a component does not count as a visitor action.
+`onChoiceRecorded` fires only for a visitor's action; `onPermissionsChanged`
+also fires when a choice expires or a privacy signal changes.
+
+## Notices and privacy signals
+
+Dismissing a notice acknowledges it. It grants nothing and leaves earlier
+refusals in place.
+
+GPC is a browser setting that asks sites not to sell or share data. c15t reads
+it live on every evaluation and applies the restrictions your policy configures
+for it. It never becomes a stored refusal: when the browser stops sending GPC,
+the restriction ends. The backend also sees the current value.
+
+## What happens when a visitor saves
+
+When a visitor clicks Accept, Reject or Save, c15t:
+
+1. Updates permissions and closes the banner or dialog in the same click.
+   Scripts, embeds and network rules follow the new permissions immediately.
+2. Writes the choice to the cookie and localStorage.
+3. Sends the choice to the consent backend. If the request fails, the choice
+   stays saved in the browser and the request is retried later.
+4. Reloads the page if the visitor turned off something they had allowed.
+   Code that already ran cannot be unloaded, so the reload starts a page with
+   only permitted code. Set `reloadOnConsentRevoked: false` to handle revocation
+   yourself.
+
+The [consent state reference](./consent-state.md) documents the exact
+ordering, retries, server hydration and how open tabs stay in step.
+
+## Where consent data comes from
+
+A consent backend supplies policies and stores consent records. Use Inth, run
+the [c15t backend](https://c15t.com/docs/self-host/overview) yourself, or keep policies in the
+browser for local development. [Choose your setup](./choose-your-setup.md)
+walks through the options for your framework and hosting.

package/docs/concepts/policies.md

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+---
+title: Policies
+description: How policy models, prompts and scope decide what c15t asks
+  visitors, where to change the rules, and why a banner may not appear.
+group: concepts
+---
+
+## What the policy controls
+
+A policy rule selects the permission model, categories, prompt and persistent
+privacy controls for a visitor. Your app reads the resolved rule and effective
+permissions. It should not choose a different rule just to hide a banner.
+
+| Policy setting        | What your app should expect                                                                                                          |
+| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| `model: 'opt-in'`     | Optional categories in scope wait for consent.                                                                                       |
+| `model: 'opt-out'`    | Categories in scope can be allowed before a choice. Saved refusals and privacy signals can restrict them.                            |
+| `model: 'none'`       | Categories in scope are allowed without an initial prompt. Stock consent controls stay hidden unless the rule grants privacy rights. |
+| `prompt: 'choice'`    | The banner asks for a choice when the current state requires one.                                                                    |
+| `prompt: 'notice'`    | Dismissing the notice records an acknowledgement, not a consent grant.                                                               |
+| `prompt: 'none'`      | No automatic prompt. The rule can still require a way to open preferences.                                                           |
+| `scopeMode: 'strict'` | Optional categories outside the rule's scope stay denied.                                                                            |
+
+Keep a persistent preferences entry point wherever the policy provides that
+right. A visitor who dismissed a notice or rejected tracking still needs a way
+to revisit their choice. Stock components read the rule's rights; custom UI
+must do the same.
+
+Use `effectivePermissions` to gate a script or embed. A `true` value under an
+opt-out rule does not mean the visitor clicked Accept. Read `explicitChoice`
+when you need the visitor's recorded decision. See
+[how consent works](./how-consent-works.md#a-permission-is-not-a-recorded-choice) for these distinctions.
+
+## Where to change the rules
+
+For Inth, configure policy rules on your hosted project. The app receives those
+rules through the configured [data-fetching path](./data-fetching.md). Importing
+`recommendedPolicyRules()` or changing browser styling does not override the
+hosted policy.
+
+For a backend you operate, use the
+[policy packs guide](https://c15t.com/docs/self-host/guides/policy-packs). It covers
+`manifest.policyRules`, preset selection and custom matchers. Browser-only
+setups own their rules locally; see
+[choose your setup](./choose-your-setup.md).
+
+Presets are starting configurations. Select them for your actual processing,
+and review their assumptions before allowing optional categories by default.
+A country match does not establish a legal basis for a vendor's data use.
+
+## Why the banner may be absent
+
+A missing banner can be an expected policy outcome or an initialization problem.
+Check `resolution.status` before interpreting the active model.
+
+| State                                                   | What to check                                                                                                                         |
+| ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| A policy matched and `promptRequirement.kind` is `none` | The rule does not ask for an initial prompt, or the stored records already satisfy it. Check persistent preferences separately.       |
+| A policy matched but a category is denied               | Inspect `effectivePermissions`, `explicitChoice`, `privacySignals` and `restrictions`. A saved refusal or GPC can keep it denied.     |
+| No policy has matched                                   | Check backend connectivity, location inputs and policy configuration. Optional categories stay denied while resolution is unresolved. |
+
+Do not treat `policyRule` alone as proof that a policy resolved. The snapshot
+also carries a safe rule for evaluation while resolution is pending or failed.
+Use `resolution.policy` only after checking for `status: 'matched'`.
+
+The local `recommendedPolicyRules()` pack uses opt-in rules for Europe and
+Québec, opt-out for its supported US privacy states, and a no-prompt `none`
+default for other known locations. An unknown country uses its strict opt-in
+fallback. A US country with a missing state gets the US opt-out fallback.
+These are the local pack's defaults, not a promise about your Inth project.
+Browser-only mode does not discover a visitor's country from their IP address.