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A diagram in a category of shape $J$ is a functor $D:J\to \mathcal{C}$. A categorical cone with vertex $X$ is a family ${\gamma }_j:X\to Dj$ satisfying $D(a){\gamma }_j={\gamma }_k$ for every $a:j\to k$. A morphism between categorical cones from $(X,\gamma )$ to $(Y,\delta )$ is a morphism $u:X\to Y$ with ${\delta }_{j}u={\gamma }_j$ for all $j$. A categorical limit is a terminal object in this category of cones: each cone has a unique such morphism to the limiting cone.

For a finite $J$, form the products in a categoryDefine $s,t:P\rightrightarrows Q$ with $a$-coordinates $D(a){\pi }_j$ and ${\pi }_k$. The equalizer $e:L\to P$ imposes exactly the cone equations. Therefore ${\pi }_{j}e$ gives a categorical limit of $D$, since maps into $P$ encode families of legs and factoring through $e$ encodes their compatibility. The empty product in a category is the terminal object, covering the empty diagram. This is the construction of small limits from products and equalizers, restricted to finite shapes.

Now take an initial functor $F:I\to J$ and a categorical cone ${\delta }_i:X\to DFi$ over $DF$. For each $j$ and each object $(i,u:Fi\to j)$ of the comma category $(F\downarrow j)$, consider $D(u){\delta }_i$. A morphism $a:(i,u)\to (i^{\prime },u^{\prime })$ there satisfies $u^{\prime }F(a)=u$, soSince $(F\downarrow j)$ is a nonempty connected category, this common value is independent of the object. Define it to be ${\gamma }_j$. This does not require choosing representatives: the value is uniquely determined.

For $b:j\to k$, replacing $(i,u)$ by $(i,bu)$ proves $D(b){\gamma }_j={\gamma }_k$. Taking $(i,1_{Fi})$ proves ${\gamma }_{Fi}={\delta }_i$. Conversely, extending a restricted cone recovers its original legs, since ${\gamma }_j=D(u){\gamma }_{Fi}$. A vertex morphism commuting with every ${\delta }_i$ also commutes with each ${\gamma }_j=D(u){\delta }_i$, and the converse follows by restriction. Thus extension and restriction are strictly inverse functors, not merely an equivalence of categories. This proves cone restriction along an initial functor.

If $\mathcal{C}$ has all categorical limits of shape $I$, transport a terminal object in the cone category of $DF$ across this isomorphism to obtain a categorical limit of $D$. Uniqueness of the induced comparison, and its compatibility with natural transformations of diagrams, givesFor the converse use the representable test for initial functors. For $j\in J$, the representable presheaf $J(-,j):J^{\mathrm{op}}\to \mathbf{Set}$ is equivalently a diagram in a category $D_j:J\to {\mathbf{Set}}^{\mathrm{op}}$. Its categorical limit in the opposite category is the colimit of $J(-,j)$ in sets. Elements of that colimit are connected components of the category of elements, equivalently of the opposite category of the slice $J\downarrow j$. This slice has terminal object $(j,1_j)$, so that colimit is a singleton.

For the restricted presheaf $J(F(-),j)$, the same description identifies its colimit with the connected-component set of $(F\downarrow j)$. Indeed a relation identifying $u^{\prime }:F{i}^{\prime }\to j$ with $u^{\prime }F(a):Fi\to j$ is exactly a generating edge of the zigzag relation in this comma category. The assumed isomorphism of limit functors forces this set to be a singleton. Therefore $(F\downarrow j)$ is nonempty and connected for every $j$, proving