Quantitative in situ X-ray diffraction in combination with catalytic tests in dry reforming of methane (DRM) has been performed to unveil the strong structural dynamics of LaNiO 3 catalysts during the DRM reaction. Structure−activity correlations reveal polymorphic changes of the rhombohedral LaNiO 3 structure first into cubic LaNiO 3 and further into transient oxygen-deficient triclinic LaNiO 2.7 and monoclinic LaNiO 2.5 . These changes occur up to 620 °C and already cause considerable DRM activity. Another intermediate structure, the Ruddlesden−Popper phase La 2 NiO 4 with moderate DRM activity, is formed in parallel with the decomposition of monoclinic LaNiO 2.5 . The decay of La 2 NiO 4 directly goes along with the appearance of crystalline metallic Ni and monoclinic La 2 O 2 CO 3 and a drastic enhancement of DRM activity. The formation of monoclinic La 2 O 2 CO 3 and decomposition of La 2 NiO 4 proceed exactly alike up to 670 °C with the accumulation of metallic Ni. At 670 °C and up to 750 °C, monoclinic La 2 O 2 CO 3 is directly transformed into hexagonal La 2 O 2 CO 3 , and no further Ni exsolution is observed. Only above 750 °C, hexagonal La 2 O 3 is observed and apparently formed directly from a drastically accelerated decomposition of monoclinic La 2 O 2 CO 3 alongside another small increase in metallic Ni. Our direct structure−activity correlation unambiguously shows that the active phase in DRM is a mixture of metallic Ni in contact with monoclinic La 2 O 2 CO 3 . The roles of the latter phase are twofold: acting as the CO 2 -activated species and stabilizing the metallic Ni particles. Naturally, this implies a perfect carbon removal ability of the metallic Ni/La 2 O 2 CO 3 interface, which directly relates to an enhanced coking resistance and, most probably, long term stability. Heating LaNiO 3 in hydrogen yields a similar sequence of structural transformations with the striking difference of the missing transient La 2 NiO 4 structure, corroborating its crucial role in the formation of the DRM-active Ni/monoclinic La 2 O 2 CO 3 interface. The final structural fate is a metallic Ni/hexagonal La 2 O 3 phase mixture. Exemplified for the DRM reaction and the initial LaNiO 3 structure, only the knowledge about the sheer complexity of the structural dynamics allows the unequivocal assignment of participating structures and phases to their respective catalytic performance, and therefore, allows definite conclusions about the formation and the properties of the final active phase.