---
canonical: https://amplience.com/developers/docs/workforce/flows/action-reference/commerce-actions/Rekognition-actions/
title: Rekognition actions
description: Explore the Rekognition extension actions for Workforce Flows, enabling you to search for faces in images using an Amazon Rekognition collection and return matching face details as part of automated content processes.

audience: Business User
image: https://cdn.media.amplience.net/i/ampproduct/flows-rekognition-actions?w=1200&h=630
image_width: 1200
image_height: 630
date_published: 2026-04-29
date_modified: 2026-05-28
---

# Rekognition actions

The AWS Rekognition extension provides actions for searching and identifying faces in images within Workforce flows. Use these actions to perform facial recognition against a configured Rekognition collection as part of your automated content processes.

You can install this action extension from the [Workforce integration marketplace](https://amplience.com/developers/docs/workforce/setup/integrations/).

> **Tip:** These action descriptions cover the most commonly used inputs and outputs. When designing flows, you may also notice additional input and output variables.

## Prerequisites

The Amazon Rekognition extension uses AWS credentials and a Rekognition collection for authentication. Configure the following environment variables before using the action.

| Variable | Type | Required | Description |
| :--- | --- | ---: | :--- |
| `AWS_REGION` | `string` | Yes | The AWS region used by the extension. |
| `AWS_REKOGNITION_KEY` | `string` | Yes | The AWS Rekognition access key. |
| `AWS_REKOGNITION_SECRET` | `string` | Yes | The AWS Rekognition secret key. This value is write-only. |
| `AWS_REKOGNITION_COLLECTION_ID` | `string` | Yes | The Rekognition collection ID used for face search. |

For details of how to obtain these authentication credentials, see the [Amazon Rekognition documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/rekognition/).

### Supported AWS regions

The `AWS_REGION` setting must use one of the regions supported by the extension, for example `us-east-1`, `us-west-2`, `eu-west-1`, `eu-west-2`, or `ap-southeast-1`.

## Search faces by image

Searches for faces in an image and returns matching faces from the configured Amazon Rekognition collection.

**Inputs**

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | ---: | :--- |
| `imageUrl` | `string` | Yes | URL of the image containing faces to search. |

**Outputs**

The action returns the matching faces found for the supplied image, together with information about the searched face and the face model used.

| Output | Type | Description |
|:---|---:|:---|
| `FaceMatches` | array | A list of face match objects. See Face match object below |
| `FaceModelVersion` | string | The version of the face model used for the search |
| `SearchedFaceBoundingBox` | object | Bounding box of the face used as the search input (Height, Left, Top, Width) |
| `SearchedFaceConfidence` | number | Confidence score for the face detected in the input image |

**Face match object**

Each entry in the `FaceMatches` array contains the following fields:

| Field | Type | Description |
|:---|---:|:---|
| `Similarity` | number | Similarity score between the searched face and the matched face |
| `Face.FaceId` | string | Unique identifier for the matched face |
| `Face.ImageId` | string | Identifier of the image containing the matched face |
| `Face.ExternalImageId` | string | User-defined identifier associated with the matched face's image |
| `Face.Confidence` | number | Confidence score for the matched face |
| `Face.IndexFacesModelVersion` | string | Version of the model used when the face was indexed |
| `Face.BoundingBox` | object | Bounding box of the matched face in its source image (Height, Left, Top, Width) |

**Example output**

```json
{
  "FaceMatches": [
    {
      "Face": {
        "BoundingBox": {
          "Height": 0.25,
          "Left": 0.35,
          "Top": 0.2,
          "Width": 0.18
        },
        "Confidence": 99.9,
        "ExternalImageId": "example-person",
        "FaceId": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
        "ImageId": "87654321-4321-4321-4321-210987654321",
        "IndexFacesModelVersion": "7.0"
      },
      "Similarity": 98.5
    }
  ],
  "FaceModelVersion": "7.0",
  "SearchedFaceBoundingBox": {
    "Height": 0.24,
    "Left": 0.34,
    "Top": 0.19,
    "Width": 0.17
  },
  "SearchedFaceConfidence": 99.8
}
```

**Example**

Here's the **Search faces by image** action in use. 

![Workforce Flows showing the Search faces by image action in a flow](https://cdn.media.amplience.net/i/ampproduct/flows-rekognition-actions?w=1880&fmt=png 'Workforce Flows showing the Search faces by image action in a flow')

> **Tip: Passing an image link to this action**
> To dynamically enter an image link each time the flow runs, set the **Image URL** field to use an output variable from another action, such as a trigger. If the image link is entered in the field and saved with the flow, the flow will always check against that specific image.

## Related pages

[Adding actions to flows](https://amplience.com/developers/docs/workforce/flows/action-reference/#adding-actions-to-flows)

[Inputs, outputs and ports](https://amplience.com/developers/docs/workforce/flows/action-reference/#inputs-outputs-and-ports)

[Input field variables](https://amplience.com/developers/docs/workforce/flows/action-reference/#input-field-variables)

[Developing extensions](https://amplience.com/developers/docs/workforce/flows/developing-extensions/)