A direct one-pot synthetic approach is described wherein cobalt(ii) phthalocyanine (CoPc) catalyzed reductive amination of 2-carboxybenzaldehyde, followed by intramolecular amidation afforded N-substituted isoindolinones. The method used diphenylsilane as reducing agent in ethanol. High chemoselectivity with excellent yield was obtained in most of the studied substrates.