Separate procedures for running a self-hosted MCP server to a new page

[kmoscoe]

This PR refactors the "advanced" instructions for self hosting into a separate page, updates various links, and incorporates some additional suggestions from Christie on PR #669.

Staged at https://bullie.svl.corp.google.com:4000

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @kmoscoe, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request significantly improves the organization and clarity of the Data Commons MCP server documentation. By extracting the detailed procedures for running a self-hosted MCP server into its own page, the PR ensures that users can more easily find instructions relevant to their specific deployment needs, whether they are using a Custom Data Commons instance or setting up a general self-hosted server. This restructuring, along with updated links and minor content refinements, streamlines the user experience and provides a more focused guide for different MCP server configurations.

Highlights

• Documentation Refactoring: The advanced instructions for running a self-hosted Data Commons MCP server have been moved from mcp/run_tools.md to a new, dedicated page: mcp/host_server.md.
• Link Updates and Clarity: Various internal links across the documentation have been updated to reflect the new page structure and improve navigation, ensuring users are directed to the correct guide for their specific MCP server setup.
• Content Refinements: Existing documentation pages have been updated to clarify their scope, focusing on either centrally hosted MCP server usage or Custom Data Commons instances, and incorporating additional suggestions from a previous pull request (Overhaul MCP docs for new hosted server #669).

Changelog

• custom_dc/run_mcp_tools.md
  • Renamed the page title from "Run an MCP server" to "Run MCP tools".
  • Updated the introductory text to include a link to the Data Commons MCP server PyPI project.
  • Modified internal links to reference the newly created mcp/host_server.md for general self-hosting instructions.
  • Removed trailing blank lines.
• mcp/host_server.md
  • Added a new documentation page dedicated to running a self-hosted Data Commons MCP server.
  • This page details procedures for both local server/local agent (Stdio) and remote server/local agent (HTTP) configurations.
  • Includes prerequisites such as the Data Commons API key and uv installation, along with configuration examples for Gemini CLI and sample agents.
• mcp/index.md
  • Updated the "Clients" section to provide clearer guidance on where to find instructions for using the hosted server versus self-hosted deployments, linking to the new host_server.md page.
• mcp/run_tools.md
  • Revised the introductory section to explicitly state that this page covers connecting to the centrally hosted server and directs users to host_server.md for advanced self-hosting scenarios.
  • Removed the extensive "Advanced: Run your own MCP server" section, as its content has been migrated to mcp/host_server.md.
  • Deleted a redundant tip about a Colab notebook, which is now present in the new self-hosting guide.
  • Adjusted a note regarding Gemini CLI configuration for improved wording.

Activity

• No specific activity (comments, reviews, or progress updates) was provided in the context.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request successfully refactors the documentation by moving the instructions for self-hosting an MCP server to a new, dedicated page. This improves the structure and readability of the documentation. The links and titles have been updated accordingly across multiple files. I've found a few issues in the new mcp/host_server.md file, including incorrect comment syntax in a Python code block, an invalid JSON example, and a protocol mismatch in a URL. My review includes suggestions to fix these issues.

[beets]

thanks kara!