An efficient nickel-catalyzed formal [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of 2H-azirines with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds for the synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrroles has been developed. This transformation involves cleavage of the C=N double bond and the construction of new C-C and C-N bonds. The reaction employs readily available starting materials, tolerates a wide range of functional groups, and affords tetrasubstituted pyrroles in good to high yields under mild reaction conditions. A gram-scale reaction was performed to demonstrate the scale-up applicability of this synthetic method. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.