The formation of N-heterocycles with multiple substituents is important in organic synthesis. Herein, we report a novel method for the construction of functionalized dihydropyridinone rings through the annulation of an amide alpha-carbon with a tethered alkyne moiety. The reaction of the amide with the alkyne was achieved via O-silyl N,O-ketene acetal formation and silver-mediated addition. Furthermore, the developed method was applied for the total synthesis of phenanthroindolizidine and phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloids. By varying the coupling partners, a concise and collective total synthesis of these alkaloids was achieved. CI - Copyright (c) 2023 Lee, Shin, Yoon, Yoo and Kim.