diff --git a/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/ThemedBannerTab.tsx b/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/ThemedBannerTab.tsx
index c90e367c6..7b526e67c 100644
--- a/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/ThemedBannerTab.tsx
+++ b/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/ThemedBannerTab.tsx
@@ -55,6 +55,15 @@ export function ThemedBannerTab({ events, pushEvent }: ThemedBannerTabProps) {
   );
 
   const sendPing = useCallback(() => {
+    // Defensive: `PosthogPanel` already disables the button while opted out,
+    // and pure telemetry pings like this one are fine to ship cookielessly
+    // (PostHog's `cookieless_mode` is designed exactly for that). Only gate
+    // manual captures when the event carries user-specific data — e.g. an
+    // identified `distinct_id`, an email, a workspace name — that must not
+    // leave the browser without consent. We keep the guard here purely to
+    // make the example fail closed if the panel is reused without its
+    // disabled-state wiring.
+    if (posthog.has_opted_out_capturing()) return;
     posthog.capture("themed_tab_manual_ping", { source: "example" });
     setManualPing(new Date().toISOString());
   }, []);
diff --git a/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/_components/PosthogPanel.tsx b/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/_components/PosthogPanel.tsx
index 8e09bfe31..8addcb288 100644
--- a/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/_components/PosthogPanel.tsx
+++ b/examples/cookie-banner-react/src/tabs/_components/PosthogPanel.tsx
@@ -58,14 +58,14 @@ export function PosthogPanel({ status, manualPing, onSendPing }: PosthogPanelPro
       </table>
       <button
         onClick={onSendPing}
-        disabled={!status.initialized}
+        disabled={!status.initialized || status.optedOut}
         style={{ padding: "6px 12px", fontSize: 13 }}
       >
         Capture test event
       </button>
       {manualPing && (
         <span style={{ marginLeft: 12, color: "#666", fontSize: 13 }}>
-          last sent: {manualPing} (only delivered when opted in)
+          last sent: {manualPing}
         </span>
       )}
     </div>