In the title compound, C20H10Cl3N5O, the 13-membered ring system makes dihedral angles of 78.64 (9)° with the trichlorophenyl ring and 62.60 (10)° with the pyridine ring. The crystal packing is dominated by π–π interactions between the 13-membered ring systems [centroid–centroid distance = 3.6655 (11)°].