The diastereoselective PdCl2/CuCl2-catalysed intramolecular methoxyaminocarbonylation of N-benzyl protected alkenyl amine 4 was used as a key step in the total synthesis of the naturally occurring piperidine alkaloid (−)-pinidinone. Commercially available (S)-propylene oxide was employed as starting material, delivering the key substrate 4 in three steps and 68% overall yield. Subsequently, the influence