How to Choose Cookie Tools
Cookie incidents become faster to solve when split into storage failure, send mismatch, same-name conflict, and size overflow paths.
First tool by symptom
- Need to validate Set-Cookie syntax first → Set-Cookie Inspect
- Stored but not sent to request → Cookie Domain/Path Matcher
- Login breaks only on cross-site transitions → SameSite Cookie Simulator
- Multiple same-name cookies causing instability → Set-Cookie Conflict Checker
- Need security-attribute audit → Cookie Security Audit
- Suspect oversized cookie headers → Cookie Size Checker
Recommended practical flow
- 1) Confirm baseline attributes with Set-Cookie Inspect
- 2) Separate send conditions with Domain/Path Matcher and SameSite Simulator
- 3) Detect same-name collision/overwrite with Conflict Checker
- 4) Close recurrence risks using Security Audit and Size Checker
Tool role map
- Set-Cookie Inspect: syntax and attribute visibility (entry point)
- Cookie Domain/Path Matcher: URL match decision
- SameSite Cookie Simulator: same-site vs cross-site decision
- Set-Cookie Conflict Checker: same-name conflict and overwrite detection
- Cookie Security Audit: missing Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite detection
- Cookie Size Checker: oversized cookie-header monitoring
Data collection set
- All Set-Cookie lines from failing responses
- Request URL and top-level URL at failure time
- Observed outbound Cookie header value
- Environment differences (prod/staging, subdomain, HTTPS)
Common incidents and routes
- Session missing after OAuth return: SameSite Simulator → Set-Cookie Inspect
- Admin path only loses auth: Domain/Path Matcher → Conflict Checker
- Production-only instability: Conflict Checker → Security Audit → Size Checker
Compared tools
- Set-Cookie Inspect
- Cookie Domain/Path Matcher
- SameSite Cookie Simulator
- Set-Cookie Conflict Checker
- Cookie Security Audit
- Cookie Size Checker
- Cookie Parser
- Set-Cookie Builder
Common mistakes
- Concluding with Domain/Path checks only while issue is SameSite-related
- Ignoring same-name collisions and leaving intermittent failures unresolved
- Postponing Secure/HttpOnly fixes and repeating incidents
FAQ
- Which tool should I start with?
- Start with Set-Cookie Inspect for baseline attributes, then branch to Domain/Path, SameSite, and Conflict checks by symptom.
- What is the difference between Conflict Checker and Domain/Path Matcher?
- Matcher focuses on one rule vs URL matching, while Conflict Checker evaluates collisions and overwrite risks across multiple Set-Cookie lines.
Referenced specs
Next to view (diagnostic order)
These links are generated from site_map rules in recommended diagnostic order.
- Set-Cookie Inspect — Parse Set-Cookie attributes and review delivery policy
- Cookie Domain/Path Matcher — Evaluate cookie send conditions by Domain/Path/Secure
- SameSite Cookie Simulator — Simulate cookie send behavior from SameSite and request context
- Set-Cookie Conflict Checker — Detect same-name cookie conflicts and overwrite risks
- Cookie Security Audit — Audit Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite settings
- Cookie Size Checker — Estimate Cookie header size and check limit risks
- Cookie Parser — Split Cookie headers into key=value pairs
- Set-Cookie Builder — Build Set-Cookie headers with attributes