Switch cookie consent runtime to WCP API

.github/astro.instructions.md

@@ -338,11 +338,11 @@ Sidebar topics are defined in `config/sidebar/` as separate modules and aggregat
 
 ## Cookie Consent
 
-The site uses `@jop-software/astro-cookieconsent` with a box modal at bottom-right. The consent modal has three buttons: **"Accept all"**, **"Reject all"**, and **"Manage preferences"**. This is relevant when automating browser interactions — always dismiss the cookie modal first.
+The site uses Microsoft's **WCP** consent runtime (`wcp-consent.js`, loaded live from `wcpstatic.microsoft.com`), wired up in `src/components/starlight/Head.astro` and fully restyled by `src/styles/wcp-consent.css`. The banner is **geo-gated**: the CDN decides per region whether it appears, so where consent is not required (e.g. the US) **no banner shows** and the "Manage cookies" buttons are hidden (`html[data-consent-not-required]`). When it does appear (e.g. the EU) it is a **fixed strip at the top of the viewport** — not a bottom-right box — with **"Accept"**, **"Reject"**, and **"More info"** actions; "More info" opens a preferences dialog with per-category toggles and "Save changes" / "Reset all". Consent is persisted in the `MSCC` cookie. Because it is geo-gated, you usually will not see it in local/US automation — if it does appear, dismiss it first.
 
 ## Screenshots and Visual Verification with playwright-cli
 
-When making visual changes or preparing PR screenshots, use the `playwright-cli` skill to automate browser interaction. This site has a cookie consent modal that appears on first visit and **must be dismissed before taking screenshots**.
+When making visual changes or preparing PR screenshots, use the `playwright-cli` skill to automate browser interaction. This site _may_ show a WCP cookie banner on first visit, but it is **geo-gated** and usually absent in local/US runs — when it does appear (a fixed strip at the top of the viewport) **dismiss it before taking screenshots**.
 
 ### Workflow for Taking Screenshots
 
@@ -352,10 +352,11 @@ When making visual changes or preparing PR screenshots, use the `playwright-cli`
    playwright-cli open http://localhost:4321
    playwright-cli goto http://localhost:4321/path/to/page/
    ```
-3. **Dismiss the cookie consent modal first** — click the "Reject all" button:
+3. **Dismiss the cookie banner if one appears** — click the "Reject" button (often a
+   no-op locally, since the banner is geo-gated and typically does not render):
    ```bash
    playwright-cli snapshot
-   # Find the ref for the "Reject all" button in the snapshot
+   # If a banner is present, find the "Reject" ref in the snapshot and click it
    playwright-cli click <ref>
    ```
 4. Take the screenshot:
@@ -370,7 +371,7 @@ When making visual changes or preparing PR screenshots, use the `playwright-cli`
    playwright-cli screenshot --filename=mobile.png
    ```
 
-Always dismiss the cookie modal before any screenshot or visual verification. The "Reject all" button avoids setting unnecessary cookies during development.
+If a banner is present, dismiss it before any screenshot or visual verification. The "Reject" button avoids setting unnecessary cookies during development; in local/US runs no banner appears, so this step is usually unnecessary.
 
 ## Accessibility and Inclusive Writing
 

.github/workflows/frontend-build.yml

@@ -88,12 +88,6 @@ jobs:
         env:
           MODE: production
           ASTRO_TELEMETRY_DISABLED: 1
-          # The built artifact is consumed by `astro preview` during the
-          # e2e shards. `config/cookie.config.ts` reads `E2E_TESTS` at
-          # build time to disable the cookie-consent bot check; without
-          # this, the preview serves a production-configured modal that
-          # playwright is mistaken for a bot and never opens.
-          E2E_TESTS: 1
         run: pnpm build:production
 
       # Upload before the dist sanity-check so the artifact is always

src/frontend/astro.config.mjs

@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import { unified } from '@astrojs/markdown-remark';
 import { sidebarTopics } from './config/sidebar/sidebar.topics.ts';
 import { redirects } from './config/redirects.mjs';
 import { iconPacks } from './config/icon-packs.mjs';
-import { cookieConfig } from './config/cookie.config';
 import { locales } from './config/locales.ts';
 import { headAttrs } from './config/head.attrs.ts';
 import { socialConfig } from './config/socials.config.ts';
@@ -20,7 +19,6 @@ import starlightLlmsTxt from 'starlight-llms-txt';
 import starlightScrollToTop from 'starlight-scroll-to-top';
 import starlightSidebarTopics from 'starlight-sidebar-topics';
 import starlightPageActions from 'starlight-page-actions';
-import jopSoftwarecookieconsent from '@jop-software/astro-cookieconsent';
 import buildTiming from './config/build-timing.mjs';
 import UnoCSS from 'unocss/astro';
 import Icons from 'starlight-plugin-icons';
@@ -229,7 +227,6 @@ export default defineConfig({
       optimize: true,
       gfm: true,
     }),
-    jopSoftwarecookieconsent(cookieConfig),
     ...(isBuildTimingEnabled ? [buildTiming()] : []),
   ],
   build: {