Live Search Facets in Adobe Commerce (ACCS), How to Enable ?

If you are running Adobe Commerce Cloud Service (ACCS) and using Live Search, storefront filters are not managed through the classic layered navigation block. Instead, you configure Live Search Facets in the Admin. Facets are filterable product attributes that appear in the storefront Filters panel when shoppers browse categories or search results.

This tutorial walks through the full process: preparing product attributes, adding facets, publishing changes, and verifying filters on the storefront.

What you need before you start

• Adobe Commerce 2.4.4+ with Live Search installed and configured
• Catalog Service syncing your catalog data to Live Search SaaS
• Admin access to your Commerce instance
• Products assigned to anchor categories (categories with Anchor = Yes)

Note: Standard layered navigation and Live Search facets are different systems. If Live Search is enabled, use facets – not the legacy Stores > Configuration > Catalog > Layered Navigation path alone.

Step 1: Configure product attributes

Before an attribute appears in the Faceting tab, it must meet Live Search requirements. This is the step you have already completed.

Go to the attribute

1. In Admin, go to Stores > Attributes > Product
2. Open the attribute you want to use as a filter (for example, Color, Material, or Brand)

Set the correct input type

Under Attribute Properties, the Catalog Input Type for Store Owner must be one of:

Set storefront properties

Under Storefront Properties, configure:

Why these matter:

• Use in Search – without this, the attribute cannot be used in search-based filtering
• Filterable (with results) – only shows filter values that have matching products (recommended)
• Use in Search Results Layered Navigation – makes the attribute eligible as a Live Search facet

Save and refresh cache

1. Click Save Attribute
2. When prompted, refresh the cache

After saving, the attribute should appear in the Add facets list under Marketing > SEO & Search > Live Search.

Tip: If an attribute still does not appear, double-check Use in Search = Yes. When that is set to No, the Use in Search Results Layered Navigation field is hidden entirely.

Step 2: Ensure the category is an anchor

Facets display on category pages only when the category is configured as an anchor.

1. Go to Catalog > Categories
2. Select your target category
3. Expand Display Settings
4. Set Anchor to Yes
5. Click Save

This tells Commerce to show filterable attributes on that category page.

Step 3: Add Live Search Facets

Now that your attributes are configured, add them as facets.

1. Go to Marketing > SEO & Search > Live Search
2. Open the Faceting tab
3. Click Add facets
4. In the Faceting attributes list, find your attribute
   • Use the Search box to filter by attribute name if the list is long
5. Click Add next to the attribute

The attribute moves to the Dynamic Facets list, and the Publish changes button becomes active.

Attributes that cannot be facets

Stock status (quantity_and_stock_status) cannot be added as a facet. Use Manage out-of-stock products in Live Search settings instead.

Step 4: Customize facet properties (optional)

After adding a facet, you can fine-tune how it appears.

1. In the facet list, click More (…) on the row
2. Click Edit
3. Adjust:

4. Click Save

Pin important facets

For filters you want always visible (for example, Brand or Price):

1. Click the gray pin icon next to the facet
2. The facet moves to Pinned Facets and stays at the top of the Filters list
3. Drag pinned facets to reorder them (headless / PLP widget)

Step 5: Publish changes

Changes are not live until you publish.

1. Click Publish changes (top of the Faceting workspace)
2. Wait for catalog synchronization with Live Search

Timeline: Facets typically appear on the storefront after the next catalog sync. Allow up to 2 hours in most cases.

If filters still do not appear after 2 hours, verify catalog export:

bin/magento saas:resync --feed=products
bin/magento saas:resync --feed=productAttributes

bin/magento saas:resync --feed=products
bin/magento saas:resync --feed=productAttributes

On ACCS, run these via your deployment pipeline or SSH as appropriate for your environment.

Step 6: Verify on the storefront

1. Open your storefront in a browser
2. Navigate to a category where the attribute applies
3. Confirm the Filters panel shows your new facet
4. Select a filter value and verify products update correctly
5. Test on the search results page as well

What shoppers should see

• A Filters sidebar (or panel) on category and search pages
• Your configured attributes listed as filter options
• Product counts next to each value (when products match)
• Results updating as filters are applied

Understanding facet types

Live Search uses several facet types behind the scenes:

For consistent filter placement, pin your most important attributes (Brand, Color, Size, Price).

Troubleshooting

Attribute not showing in Add facets list

• Confirm Use in Search = Yes
• Confirm Use in Layered Navigation = Filterable (with results)
• Confirm Use in Search Results Layered Navigation = Yes
• Confirm input type is supported (Dropdown, Multi-select, Yes/No, Price, or Swatch)
• Save attribute and refresh cache

Facet added but not on storefront

• Did you click Publish changes?
• Wait up to 2 hours for catalog sync
• Run saas:resync for products and productAttributes feeds
• Confirm category Anchor = Yes
• Confirm products in that category have values for the attribute

Filter shows but returns no products

• Verify products have the attribute value assigned
• Run a full reindex: bin/magento indexer:reindex
• Check that the attribute is in the correct attribute set for those products

Price filter not working correctly

• Ensure Sales Tax and Catalog Prices settings use the same tax display (both Excluding or both Including Tax)
• Configure price intervals under Marketing > SEO & Search > Live Search > Settings

Timeout errors after adding many dynamic facets

• Pin all facets instead of relying on dynamic facets to reduce query load

Quick reference checklist

Summary

Enabling storefront filters in ACCS with Live Search is a two-part process:

1. Prepare attributes – set the three storefront properties so attributes qualify as filterable
2. Activate facets – add them in the Live Search Faceting workspace and publish

Once published and synced, shoppers see those attributes as filters on category and search pages – a faster, AI-enhanced alternative to classic layered navigation.

Official Adobe documentation:

• Add Facets
• Facets overview
• Manage Facets
• Layered navigation (standard)

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