The first metal complexes comprising amidinoguanidinate ligands have been prepared and structurally characterized, namely bis[μ-N,N′,N′′,N′′′-tetraisopropyl-1-(1-butylamidinato)guanidinato-κ3N1,N2:N2]bis[(tetrahydrofuran)lithium], [Li2(C18H37N4)2(C4H8O)2], (2), and [bis(tetrahydrofuran)lithium]-di-μ-chlorido-{(N,N′-dicyclohexyl-1-butylamidinato-κ2N1,N2)[N,N′,N′′,N′′′-tetracyclohexyl-1-(1-butylamidinato)guanidinato-κ2N1,N2]holmate(III)}, [HoLiCl2(C4H8O)2(C17H31N2)(C30H53N4)], (3). The novel lithium amidinoguanidinate precursors Li[nBuC(=NR)(NR)C(NR)2] [1:R= Cy (cyclohexyl),2:R=iPr) were obtained by treatment ofN,N′-diorganocarbodiimides,R—N=C=N—R(R=iPr, Cy), with 0.5 equivalents ofn-butyllithium under well-defined reaction conditions. An X-ray diffraction study of2revealed a ladder-type dimeric structure in the solid state. Reaction of anhydrous holmium(III) chloride within situ-prepared2afforded the unexpected holmium `ate' complex [nBuC(=NCy)(NCy)C(NCy)2]Ho[nBuC(NCy)2](μ-Cl)2Li(THF)2(3) in 71% yield. An X-ray crystal structure determination of3showed that this complex contains both an amidinate ligand and the new amidinoguanidinate ligand.