The title compound, C15H15NO3, contains a carbazole skeleton with an ethoxycarbonyl group at the 3 position. In the indole ring system, the benzene and pyrrole rings are nearly coplanar, forming a dihedral angle of 1.95 (8)°. The cyclohexenone ring has an envelope conformation. In the crystal structure, pairs of strong N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into centrosymmetric dimers with R 2 2(10) ring motifs. π–π contacts between parallel pyrrole rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.776 (2) Å] may further stabilize the structure. A weak C—H⋯π interaction is also observed.