A short synthesis of the staurosporine aglycon (6) is reported, the indolocarbazole skeleton being constructed by an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction followed by a nitrene-mediated ring closure. The synthesis starts by acylation of ethyl indole-2-acetate with oxalyl chloride. The resulting indole-3-glyoxalyl chloride is quenched with 2-nitrocinnamylamine (29) to give the amide (31). Hydrolysis of the ester group and cyclodehydration then gives the ...