diff --git a/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Structural/Eqns.lean b/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Structural/Eqns.lean
index 2af1d8aff2..62463832b5 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Structural/Eqns.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Structural/Eqns.lean
@@ -19,10 +19,109 @@ structure EqnInfo where
   recArgPos   : Nat
   deriving Inhabited
 
-def mkEqns (info : EqnInfo) : MetaM (Array Name) := do
+private partial def expand : Expr → Expr
+  | Expr.letE _ t v b _ => expand (b.instantiate1 v)
+  | Expr.mdata _ b _    => expand b
+  | e => e
+
+private def expandRHS? (mvarId : MVarId) : MetaM (Option MVarId) := do
+  let target ← instantiateMVars (← getMVarType mvarId)
+  let some (_, lhs, rhs) ← target.eq? | return none
+  unless rhs.isLet || rhs.isMData do return none
+  return some (← replaceTargetDefEq mvarId (← mkEq lhs (expand rhs)))
+
+private def funext? (mvarId : MVarId) : MetaM (Option MVarId) := do
+  let target ← getMVarType mvarId
+  let some (_, lhs, rhs) ← target.eq? | return none
+  unless rhs.isLambda do return none
+  commitWhenSome? do
+    let [mvarId] ← apply mvarId (← mkConstWithFreshMVarLevels ``funext) | return none
+    let (_, mvarId) ← intro1 mvarId
+    return some mvarId
+
+private def simpMatch? (mvarId : MVarId) : MetaM (Option MVarId) := do
+  let mvarId' ← Split.simpMatchTarget mvarId
+  if mvarId != mvarId' then return some mvarId' else return none
+
+/--
+  Return true if the right-hand-side is matching on one of the variables in
+  the recursion position at the left-hand-side.
+  Example: returns true for
+  ```
+  f ys (x :: xs) = match xs with ...
+  ```
+  if `recArgPos == 1`
+-/
+private def matchRecArg (mvarId : MVarId) (recArgPos : Nat) : MetaM Bool := do
+  let target ← instantiateMVars (← getMVarType mvarId)
+  let some (_, lhs, rhs) ← target.eq? | return false
+  let lhsArgs := lhs.getAppArgs
+  if h : recArgPos < lhsArgs.size then
+    let recArg := lhsArgs.get ⟨recArgPos, h⟩
+    let recFVarSet := collectFVars {} recArg |>.fvarSet
+    let env ← getEnv
+    return Option.isSome <| rhs.find? fun e => do
+      if let some info := isMatcherAppCore? env e then
+        let args := e.getAppArgs
+        for i in [info.getFirstDiscrPos : info.getFirstDiscrPos + info.numDiscrs] do
+          let discr := args[i]
+          if recFVarSet.any discr.containsFVar then
+            return true
+        return false
+      else
+        return false
+  else
+    return true -- conservative answer
+
+private def saveEqn (mvarId : MVarId) : StateRefT (Array Expr) MetaM Unit := withMVarContext mvarId do
+  let target ← instantiateMVars (← getMVarType mvarId)
+  let fvarIds := collectFVars {} target |>.fvarSet.toArray
+  let (_, mvarId) ← revert mvarId fvarIds
+  let type ← instantiateMVars (← getMVarType mvarId)
+  modify (·.push type)
+
+private partial def mkEqnTypes (mvarId : MVarId) : ReaderT EqnInfo (StateRefT (Array Expr) MetaM) Unit := do
+  if !(← matchRecArg mvarId (← read).recArgPos) then
+    saveEqn mvarId
+  else if let some mvarId ← expandRHS? mvarId then
+    mkEqnTypes mvarId
+  else if let some mvarId ← funext? mvarId then
+    mkEqnTypes mvarId
+  else if let some mvarId ← simpMatch? mvarId then
+    mkEqnTypes mvarId
+  else if let some mvarIds ← splitTarget? mvarId then
+    mvarIds.forM mkEqnTypes
+  else
+    saveEqn mvarId
+
+/-- Create a "unique" base name for equations and splitter -/
+private def mkBaseNameFor (env : Environment) (declName : Name) : Name :=
+  Lean.mkBaseNameFor env declName `eq_1 `_eqns
+
+private def mkProof (type : Expr) : MetaM Expr := do
   -- TODO
-  trace[Elab.definition.structural.eqns] "mkEqns:\n{info.value}"
-  return #[]
+  mkSorry type false
+
+def mkEqns (info : EqnInfo) : MetaM (Array Name) := do
+  withOptions (tactic.hygienic.set . false) do
+  lambdaTelescope info.value fun xs body => do
+    let us := info.levelParams.map mkLevelParam
+    let target ← mkEq (mkAppN (Lean.mkConst info.declName us) xs) body
+    let goal ← mkFreshExprSyntheticOpaqueMVar target
+    let (_, eqnTypes) ← mkEqnTypes goal.mvarId! |>.run info |>.run #[]
+    let baseName := mkBaseNameFor (← getEnv) info.declName
+    let mut thmNames := #[]
+    for i in [: eqnTypes.size] do
+      let type := eqnTypes[i]
+      trace[Elab.definition.structural.eqns] "{eqnTypes[i]}"
+      let name := baseName ++ (`eq).appendIndexAfter (i+1)
+      thmNames := thmNames.push name
+      let value ← mkProof type
+      addDecl <| Declaration.thmDecl {
+        name, type, value
+        levelParams := info.levelParams
+      }
+    return thmNames
 
 builtin_initialize eqnInfoExt : MapDeclarationExtension EqnInfo ← mkMapDeclarationExtension `structEqInfo
 
diff --git a/tests/lean/run/structuralEqns.lean b/tests/lean/run/structuralEqns.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..126711802f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lean/run/structuralEqns.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import Lean
+
+set_option trace.Elab.definition.structural.eqns true
+
+open Lean
+open Lean.Meta
+def tst (declName : Name) : MetaM Unit := do
+  IO.println (← getEqnsFor? declName)
+
+#eval tst ``List.map
+#check @List.map.eq_1
+#check @List.map.eq_2
+
+def foo (xs ys zs : List Nat) : List Nat :=
+  match (xs, ys) with
+  | (xs', ys')   =>
+    match zs with
+    | z::zs => foo xs ys zs
+    | _ => match ys' with
+     | [] => [1]
+     | _  => [2]
+
+#eval tst ``foo
+
+#check foo.eq_1
+#check foo.eq_2
+
+#eval tst ``foo
+
+def g : List Nat → List Nat → Nat
+  | [],         y::ys => y
+  | [],         ys    => 0
+  | [x1],       ys    => g [] ys
+  | x::xs,      y::ys => g xs ys + y
+  | x::xs,      []    => g xs []
+
+#eval tst ``g
+#check g.eq_1
+#check g.eq_2
+#check g.eq_3
+#check g.eq_4
+#check g.eq_5