SMART LOTTO Dev Log #7 — The Source Code Is Gone

How Does This Happen

Every developer knows version control is important. And yet.

The Sequence of Events

Step 1 — Bitbucket storage limit

I was managing several personal projects on Bitbucket. One day I was running close to the storage limit and cleaned up repositories. My reasoning: the code is on my local machine, so the remote backup is redundant.

I deleted the SMART LOTTO repository.

Step 2 — MacBook reformats

Some time later, both of my MacBooks needed to be wiped. I backed up what I thought was important before reformatting. The SMART LOTTO project directory wasn't on my checklist.

Step 3 — Nowhere to be found

When I tried to locate the code:

• Bitbucket: repository deleted
• MacBook A: reformatted
• MacBook B: reformatted
• External drives: project not found

The app was sitting on the App Store with a live bug and no way to fix it.

Sitting With It

For a moment I considered just letting the app go. It still runs — barely. The bug is silent. Users who'd already downloaded it could keep using it.

But there's a 4.7-star rating. A hundred-plus reviews. Five years of history. Giving that up felt wrong.

The App Still Runs

That realization changed my thinking.

The source code is gone, but the app still exists. I can install it. I can see every screen. I know every feature. I wrote all of it originally.

There's no technical reason I can't rebuild it from scratch — and if I'm rebuilding anyway, I can make it better. New architecture. Cross-platform support. Fix everything that bothered me about the first version.

No source code isn't a dead end. It's an unusual starting point.

Next: how I rebuilt the app using Flutter and Claude Code.