The nickel cyclohexasilyl complex CpNi(PPh3)Si6Me11 was synthesized from nickelocene, triphenylphosphine, and undecamethylcyclohexasilyl potassium and was fully characterized. It shows a relationship between its Si-Si bond lengths and its reactivity towards oxygen. The cleavage of one cyclopentadienyl ligand from nickelocene by silyl anions in the presence of additional ligands opens a promising new pathway to nickel silyl complexes of the type CpNi(L)-SiR3