A new palladium-catalysed allylic alkylation affording silylated 3-vinyl-pyrrolidones has been developed. The method relies upon the interaction between a stabilised acetamide enolate anion and a silicon-containing nitrogen-tethered η3-allyl-palladium moiety. Two variants have been studied, involving location of the silicon atom on either olefinic carbon atom of the cyclisation precursor. In both cases