diff --git a/src/frontends/lean/builtin_cmds.cpp b/src/frontends/lean/builtin_cmds.cpp
index af130145d9..464e065ed4 100644
--- a/src/frontends/lean/builtin_cmds.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/lean/builtin_cmds.cpp
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Author: Leonardo de Moura
 #include "library/reducible.h"
 #include "library/normalize.h"
 #include "library/print.h"
+#include "library/definitional/projection.h"
 #include "frontends/lean/util.h"
 #include "frontends/lean/parser.h"
 #include "frontends/lean/calc.h"
@@ -506,9 +507,26 @@ environment erase_cache_cmd(parser & p) {
     return p.env();
 }
 
+environment projections_cmd(parser & p) {
+    name n = p.check_id_next("invalid #projections command, identifier expected");
+    if (p.curr_is_token(get_dcolon_tk())) {
+        p.next();
+        buffer<name> proj_names;
+        while (p.curr_is_identifier()) {
+            proj_names.push_back(n + p.get_name_val());
+            p.next();
+        }
+        return mk_projections(p.env(), n, proj_names);
+    } else {
+        return mk_projections(p.env(), n);
+    }
+}
+
 void init_cmd_table(cmd_table & r) {
-    add_cmd(r, cmd_info("open",         "create aliases for declarations, and use objects defined in other namespaces", open_cmd));
-    add_cmd(r, cmd_info("export",       "create abbreviations for declarations, and export objects defined in other namespaces", export_cmd));
+    add_cmd(r, cmd_info("open",         "create aliases for declarations, and use objects defined in other namespaces",
+                        open_cmd));
+    add_cmd(r, cmd_info("export",       "create abbreviations for declarations, "
+                        "and export objects defined in other namespaces", export_cmd));
     add_cmd(r, cmd_info("set_option",   "set configuration option", set_option_cmd));
     add_cmd(r, cmd_info("exit",         "exit", exit_cmd));
     add_cmd(r, cmd_info("print",        "print a string", print_cmd));
@@ -522,6 +540,7 @@ void init_cmd_table(cmd_table & r) {
     add_cmd(r, cmd_info("reducible",    "mark definitions as reducible/irreducible for automation", reducible_cmd));
     add_cmd(r, cmd_info("irreducible",  "mark definitions as irreducible for automation", irreducible_cmd));
     add_cmd(r, cmd_info("#erase_cache", "erase cached definition (for debugging purposes)", erase_cache_cmd));
+    add_cmd(r, cmd_info("#projections", "generate projections for inductive datatype (for debugging)", projections_cmd));
 
     register_decl_cmds(r);
     register_inductive_cmd(r);
diff --git a/src/frontends/lean/token_table.cpp b/src/frontends/lean/token_table.cpp
index 7aef1d017b..f5dfb6d752 100644
--- a/src/frontends/lean/token_table.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/lean/token_table.cpp
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ void init_token_table(token_table & t) {
          "precedence", "reserve", "infixl", "infixr", "infix", "postfix", "prefix", "notation", "context",
          "exit", "set_option", "open", "export", "calc_subst", "calc_refl", "calc_trans", "tactic_hint",
          "add_begin_end_tactic", "set_begin_end_tactic", "instance", "class",
-         "include", "omit", "#erase_cache", nullptr};
+         "include", "omit", "#erase_cache", "#projections", nullptr};
 
     pair<char const *, char const *> aliases[] =
         {{g_lambda_unicode, "fun"}, {"forall", "Pi"}, {g_forall_unicode, "Pi"}, {g_pi_unicode, "Pi"},
diff --git a/src/library/definitional/CMakeLists.txt b/src/library/definitional/CMakeLists.txt
index ddf3809c74..8c11d8430a 100644
--- a/src/library/definitional/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/library/definitional/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-add_library(definitional rec_on.cpp induction_on.cpp cases_on.cpp unit.cpp)
+add_library(definitional rec_on.cpp induction_on.cpp cases_on.cpp unit.cpp projection.cpp)
 
 target_link_libraries(definitional ${LEAN_LIBS})
diff --git a/src/library/definitional/projection.cpp b/src/library/definitional/projection.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c4dfccb4f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/library/definitional/projection.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+/*
+Copyright (c) 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+
+Author: Leonardo de Moura
+*/
+#include "util/sstream.h"
+#include "kernel/instantiate.h"
+#include "kernel/abstract.h"
+#include "kernel/type_checker.h"
+#include "kernel/inductive/inductive.h"
+#include "library/reducible.h"
+#include "library/module.h"
+
+namespace lean {
+[[ noreturn ]] static void throw_ill_formed(name const & n) {
+    throw exception(sstream() << "error in 'projection' generation, '" << n << "' is an ill-formed inductive datatype");
+}
+
+static pair<unsigned, inductive::intro_rule> get_nparam_intro_rule(environment const & env, name const & n) {
+    optional<inductive::inductive_decls> decls = inductive::is_inductive_decl(env, n);
+    if (!decls)
+        throw exception(sstream() << "error in 'projection' generation, '" << n << "' is not an inductive datatype");
+    unsigned num_params = std::get<1>(*decls);
+    for (auto const & decl : std::get<2>(*decls)) {
+        if (inductive::inductive_decl_name(decl) == n) {
+            auto intros = inductive::inductive_decl_intros(decl);
+            if (length(intros) != 1)
+                throw exception(sstream() << "error in 'projection' generation, '"
+                                << n << "' must have a single constructor");
+            return mk_pair(num_params, head(intros));
+        }
+    }
+    optional<unsigned> num_indices = inductive::get_num_indices(env, n);
+    if (num_indices && *num_indices > 0)
+        throw exception(sstream() << "error in 'projection' generation, '"
+                        << n << "' is an indexed inductive datatype family");
+    throw_ill_formed(n);
+}
+
+environment mk_projections(environment const & env, name const & n, buffer<name> const & proj_names) {
+    // Given an inductive datatype C A (where A represent parameters)
+    //   intro : Pi A (x_1 : B_1[A]) (x_2 : B_2[A, x_1]) ..., C A
+    //
+    // we generate projections of the form
+    //   proj_i A (c : C A) : B_i[A, (proj_1 A n), ..., (proj_{i-1} A n)]
+    //     C.rec A (fun (x : C A), B_i[A, ...]) (fun (x_1 ... x_n), x_i) c
+    auto p = get_nparam_intro_rule(env, n);
+    name_generator ngen;
+    unsigned nparams             = p.first;
+    inductive::intro_rule intro  = p.second;
+    expr intro_type              = inductive::intro_rule_type(intro);
+    name rec_name                = inductive::get_elim_name(n);
+    declaration ind_decl         = env.get(n);
+    declaration rec_decl         = env.get(rec_name);
+    level_param_names lvl_params = ind_decl.get_univ_params();
+    levels lvls                  = param_names_to_levels(lvl_params);
+    buffer<expr> params; // datatype parameters
+    for (unsigned i = 0; i < nparams; i++) {
+        if (!is_pi(intro_type))
+            throw_ill_formed(n);
+        expr param = mk_local(ngen.next(), binding_name(intro_type), binding_domain(intro_type), mk_implicit_binder_info());
+        intro_type = instantiate(binding_body(intro_type), param);
+        params.push_back(param);
+    }
+    expr C_A                     = mk_app(mk_constant(n, lvls), params);
+    expr c                       = mk_local(ngen.next(), name("c"), C_A, binder_info());
+    buffer<expr> intro_type_args; // arguments that are not parameters
+    expr it = intro_type;
+    while (is_pi(it)) {
+        expr local = mk_local(ngen.next(), binding_name(it), binding_domain(it), binding_info(it));
+        intro_type_args.push_back(local);
+        it = instantiate(binding_body(it), local);
+    }
+    buffer<expr> projs; // projections generated so far
+    unsigned i = 0;
+    environment new_env = env;
+    for (name const & proj_name : proj_names) {
+        if (!is_pi(intro_type))
+            throw exception(sstream() << "error in projection '" << proj_name << "' generation, '"
+                            << n << "' does not have sufficient data");
+        expr result_type   = binding_domain(intro_type);
+        buffer<expr> proj_args;
+        proj_args.append(params);
+        proj_args.push_back(c);
+        expr type_former   = Fun(c, result_type);
+        expr minor_premise = Fun(intro_type_args, mk_var(intro_type_args.size() - i - 1));
+        expr major_premise = c;
+        type_checker tc(new_env);
+        level l            = sort_level(tc.ensure_sort(tc.infer(result_type).first).first);
+        levels rec_lvls    = append(to_list(l), lvls);
+        expr rec           = mk_constant(rec_name, rec_lvls);
+        buffer<expr> rec_args;
+        rec_args.append(params);
+        rec_args.push_back(type_former);
+        rec_args.push_back(minor_premise);
+        rec_args.push_back(major_premise);
+        expr rec_app      = mk_app(rec, rec_args);
+        expr proj_type    = Pi(proj_args, result_type);
+        expr proj_val     = Fun(proj_args, rec_app);
+        bool opaque       = false;
+        bool use_conv_opt = false;
+        declaration new_d = mk_definition(env, proj_name, lvl_params, proj_type, proj_val,
+                                          opaque, rec_decl.get_module_idx(), use_conv_opt);
+        new_env = module::add(new_env, check(new_env, new_d));
+        new_env = set_reducible(new_env, proj_name, reducible_status::On);
+        expr proj         = mk_app(mk_app(mk_constant(proj_name, lvls), params), c);
+        intro_type        = instantiate(binding_body(intro_type), proj);
+        i++;
+    }
+    return new_env;
+}
+
+static name mk_fresh_name(environment const & env, buffer<name> const & names, name const & s) {
+    unsigned i = 1;
+    name c = s;
+    while (true) {
+        if (!env.find(c) &&
+            std::find(names.begin(), names.end(), c) == names.end())
+            return c;
+        c = s.append_after(i);
+        i++;
+    }
+}
+
+environment mk_projections(environment const & env, name const & n) {
+    auto p  = get_nparam_intro_rule(env, n);
+    unsigned num_params = p.first;
+    inductive::intro_rule ir = p.second;
+    expr type = inductive::intro_rule_type(ir);
+    buffer<name> proj_names;
+    unsigned i = 0;
+    while (is_pi(type)) {
+        if (i >= num_params)
+            proj_names.push_back(mk_fresh_name(env, proj_names, n + binding_name(type)));
+        i++;
+        type = binding_body(type);
+    }
+    return mk_projections(env, n, proj_names);
+}
+}
diff --git a/src/library/definitional/projection.h b/src/library/definitional/projection.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5e956ad70f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/library/definitional/projection.h
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/*
+Copyright (c) 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+
+Author: Leonardo de Moura
+*/
+#pragma once
+#include "kernel/environment.h"
+
+namespace lean {
+environment mk_projections(environment const & env, name const & n, buffer<name> const & proj_names);
+environment mk_projections(environment const & env, name const & n);
+}
diff --git a/tests/lean/run/proj.lean b/tests/lean/run/proj.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..724bdc01e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lean/run/proj.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import logic
+
+inductive sigma {A : Type} (B : A → Type) :=
+mk : Π (a : A), B a → sigma B
+
+#projections sigma :: proj1 proj2
+
+check sigma.proj1
+check sigma.proj2
+
+variables {A : Type} {B : A → Type}
+variables (a : A) (b : B a)
+
+theorem tst1 : sigma.proj1 (sigma.mk a b) = a :=
+rfl
+
+theorem tst2 : sigma.proj2 (sigma.mk a b) = b :=
+rfl