github | force pushed --orphan branch ~•~ lost all data/website ~•~ recoverable?

Question

preface ~ i'm still a very green programmer + i attempted to resolve the issue below w/ the step-by-step assistance of claude.ai

initial issue

git push repeatedly errored: GH001: Large files detected.

resolution [planned]

remove tracking of large file in my local repo

resolution [executed]

1. use git-filter-repo to target large file + remove all instances of it in my local commits

• the file in the referenced path has already been deleted but the tracking of it persisted after running the following command several times: git filter-repo --force --path public/posts/ver0_38/_hu930a8f636c08bb7a0f4cd2a5ff120114_26684426_d46344f3bad075e4893718ebcea2de5c.gif

2. after suggesting i clone the last good remote repo, i preferred to resolve the issue in a more targeted approach by fixing the error at its source ~ so, claude then suggested we create an --orphan branch then force push it up to my remote repo

• at this point, i was a bit frustrated in attempting to resolve this + various other errors in the past 3 days that prevented me from pushing/updating my hugo site ~ so, despite claude giving me clear instructions of copying the files + folders from my hugo directory to a temp folder as a backup then copying them back after creating the --orphan branch, i only moved the files + folders out then right back in the hugo dir without ever having backed them up ~

• once i force pushed this --orphan branch, all the files within my hugo website were gone + only the empty folders remained ~ claude did explicitly warn me that this was a "nuclear reset", but being in the rushed state of mind i was in to resolve this persistent issue, i read right past the critical details, following the directions blindly without realizing how destructive of a process this was ~

my plea for help

while i backed up my local hugo directory a few days prior to this nuclear incident, the commit history for this repo was very important to me as it marked the start of my second attempt at coding/programming + i would have loved to have the breadcrumbs of my journey available for later review + reflection ~

so, is it at all possible to undo this deletion/resetting of my hugo directory so that i can retrieve/recover both my deleted branch, and therein all my data, as well as my original repo w/ all of its commits?

i would truly, truly appreciate any assistance kreme

attached are claude's instructions

also, after this, not having yet realized the full extent of what happened, i wanted to revert my local branch to being called main instead of new-main ~ so, w/ chatgpt being unaware of the context, it instructed me to create a new main branch then we deleted the new-main branch, this may have been the stuff to delete my data but i'm not sure

instructions by claude.ai