Rhodium(ii) carbenes generated from (E)-3-diazo-4-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-1-phenylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione under- went a facile transformation into novel succinimide-fused 2H-chromenes, chromeno[2,3-c]pyrrole-1,3(2H,3aH)-diones. The process presumably involves an intramolecular O-H insertion reaction.