Debugging sGTM used to be a pain - until I found this

If you’ve ever tried to debug server-side GTM (sGTM), you know the struggle.
The preview interface is… let’s just say, not user-friendly.

Reading incoming JSON? A nightmare.

Tracking down which tag failed? Good luck.

Figuring out consent issues? May the odds be ever in your favor.

I used to open DevTools, zoom into messy request URLs, decode JSON in another tab, scroll endlessly through preview events… and slowly lose my will to live.

Then I discovered the GTM Helper extension by Stape, and honestly - debugging sGTM suddenly became almost fun.

(Yeah, I said it.)

Here’s what it does:

- Formats JSON beautifully in the sGTM preview — readable, clickable, and non-brain-melting.

- Decodes request URLs — so you actually understand what data is being sent.

- Adds color-coding to tags (GA4, Meta, Ads, etc.) so you stop hunting for the right one in a wall of text.

- Highlights tag statuses (including 4xx/5xx errors).

- Displays consent mode status clearly in preview — no need to go hunting for the gcs parameter in requests.

The best part?

- It’s free.

- No Stape account required.

- It saved me from rage-quitting sGTM setups more than once.

If you work with GA4 to BigQuery exports, be sure to check out my SQL cheat sheet.