Entente limits and Britain's war choice

Did the Entente Cordiale guarantee French protection through a binding alliance?

No. Its signed agreements established friendship and settled disputes, but Britain deliberately did not make it a formal alliance or automatic commitment to war.

The Entente Cordiale was an agreement of friendship without a binding commitment to war. The British cabinet was divided between ministers who favored intervention and those who wanted to stay out. Without a Belgian treaty violation to unite them, the government retained room to choose neutrality. The fleet's role depends on whether Britain enters immediately, waits for another cause, or remains outside the conflict.