Deprecate MCP Optimizer in UI, remove UI tabs from tutorial (#717)

* Add deprecation notice to UI Optimizer guide

Signed-off-by: Dan Barr <6922515+danbarr@users.noreply.github.com>

* Update tutorial with note and remove UI tab

Signed-off-by: Dan Barr <6922515+danbarr@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Signed-off-by: Dan Barr <6922515+danbarr@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Dan Barr <6922515+danbarr@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: danbarr

docs/toolhive/guides-ui/mcp-optimizer.mdx

@@ -4,20 +4,26 @@ description:
   Enable the MCP Optimizer to enhance tool selection and reduce token usage.
 ---
 
+:::danger[Deprecated - removal on April 22, 2026]
+
+The MCP Optimizer in the ToolHive UI is deprecated and will be removed on April
+22, 2026. The optimizer is now built into
+[Virtual MCP Server (vMCP)](../guides-vmcp/optimizer.mdx), which provides the
+same tool filtering and token reduction at the team level with no per-user
+configuration needed.
+
+For details on the migration, see the
+[announcement blog post](https://stacklok.com/blog/mcp-optimizer-is-now-built-into-the-stacklok-platform/).
+
+:::
+
 ## Overview
 
 The ToolHive MCP Optimizer acts as an intelligent intermediary between AI
 clients and MCP servers. It provides tool discovery, unified access to multiple
 MCP servers through a single endpoint, and intelligent routing of requests to
 appropriate MCP tools.
 
-:::info[Status]
-
-The MCP Optimizer is currently experimental. If you try it out, please share
-your feedback on the [Stacklok Discord community](https://discord.gg/stacklok).
-
-:::
-
 Learn more about the MCP Optimizer, its benefits, and how it works in the
 tutorial:
 [Reduce token usage with MCP Optimizer](../tutorials/mcp-optimizer.mdx).

docs/toolhive/tutorials/mcp-optimizer.mdx

@@ -12,10 +12,13 @@ clients and MCP servers. It provides tool discovery, unified access to multiple
 MCP servers through a single endpoint, and intelligent routing of requests to
 appropriate MCP tools.
 
-:::info[Status]
+:::note[Moving to vMCP]
 
-The MCP Optimizer is currently experimental. If you try it out, please share
-your feedback on the [Stacklok Discord community](https://discord.gg/stacklok).
+The optimizer is now integrated into
+[Virtual MCP Server (vMCP)](../guides-vmcp/optimizer.mdx), which provides the
+same tool filtering and token reduction at the team level. You can deploy it in
+Kubernetes today, and a local experience is coming soon. This tutorial covers
+the standalone CLI approach in the meantime.
 
 :::
 
@@ -74,38 +77,16 @@ flowchart TB
   - macOS: Docker Desktop, Podman Desktop, or Rancher Desktop (using dockerd)
   - Windows: Docker Desktop or Rancher Desktop (using dockerd)
   - Linux: any container runtime (see [Linux setup](#linux-setup))
-- ToolHive UI version 0.12.0 or later
+- ToolHive CLI
 
 ## Step 1: Install MCP servers in a ToolHive group
 
 Before you can use MCP Optimizer, you need to have one or more MCP servers
 running in a ToolHive group. If you don't have any MCP servers set up yet,
 follow these steps:
 
-<Tabs groupId='mode' queryString='mode'>
-<TabItem value='ui' label='ToolHive UI' default>
-
-1. Open the ToolHive UI and go to the **MCP Servers** screen
-2. Ensure you're in the `default` group (or create a new group if desired)
-3. Run one or more MCP servers by clicking the **Add an MCP Server** button and
-   selecting from the registry or using a custom server image
-
-   For this tutorial, you can run the following example MCP servers:
-   - `github`: Provides tools for interacting with GitHub repositories
-     ([guide](../guides-mcp/github.mdx?mode=ui))
-   - `fetch`: Provides a web search tool to fetch recent news articles
-   - `time`: Provides a tool to get the current time in various time zones
-
-4. Wait for the MCP servers to start and become healthy
-
-See the [Run MCP servers](../guides-ui/run-mcp-servers.mdx) guide for more
-details.
-
-</TabItem>
-<TabItem value='cli' label='ToolHive CLI'>
-
-Run one or more MCP servers in the `default` group using the ToolHive CLI. For
-this tutorial, you can run the following example MCP servers:
+Run one or more MCP servers in the `default` group. For this tutorial, you can
+run the following example MCP servers:
 
 - `github`: Provides tools for interacting with GitHub repositories
   ([guide](../guides-mcp/github.mdx?mode=cli))
@@ -127,9 +108,6 @@ Verify the MCP servers are running:
 thv list
 ```
 
-</TabItem>
-</Tabs>
-
 ## Step 2: Connect your AI client
 
 Connect your AI client to the ToolHive group where the MCP servers are running
@@ -143,19 +121,6 @@ the groups to avoid unpredictable behavior.
 
 :::
 
-<Tabs groupId='mode' queryString='mode'>
-<TabItem value='ui' label='ToolHive UI' default>
-
-Open the ToolHive UI and use the **Manage Clients** button on the main MCP
-Servers screen to register your AI client with the appropriate group (for
-example, `default`).
-
-See the [Client configuration](../guides-ui/client-configuration.mdx) guide for
-more details.
-
-</TabItem>
-<TabItem value='cli' label='ToolHive CLI'>
-
 Run the following command to register your AI client with the ToolHive group
 where the MCP servers are running (for example, `default`):
 
@@ -166,55 +131,14 @@ thv client setup
 See the [Client configuration](../guides-cli/client-configuration.mdx) guide for
 more details.
 
-</TabItem>
-</Tabs>
-
 Open your AI client and verify that it is connected to the correct MCP servers.
 If you installed the `github`, `fetch`, and `time` servers, you should see
 almost 50 tools available.
 
 ## Step 3: Enable MCP Optimizer
 
-<Tabs groupId='mode' queryString='mode'>
-<TabItem value='ui' label='ToolHive UI' default>
-
-The ToolHive UI automates the setup of the MCP Optimizer.
-
-1. Open the **Settings** (⚙️) screen and enable **MCP Optimizer** under
-   **Experimental Features**
-2. Click the **Configure** button on the notification that pops up, or go to the
-   main **MCP Servers** screen and click **MCP Optimizer** in the left sidebar
-3. Select the group that contains the MCP servers you want to optimize and click
-   **Apply Changes**
-
-ToolHive automatically updates clients that were registered with the selected
-group to use the MCP Optimizer. If you want to connect a new client, go to the
-`default` group and use the **Manage Clients** button to register it.
-
-Open your AI client and check its MCP configuration. You should see a single MCP
-server named `toolhive-mcp-optimizer`.
-
-:::info[What's happening?]
-
-When you enable MCP Optimizer, ToolHive automatically creates an internal group
-and runs the `mcp-optimizer` MCP server in that group.
-
-The MCP Optimizer server discovers the MCP servers in the selected group and
-builds an index of their tools for intelligent routing. Automatic polling keeps
-the index up to date as servers are added or removed from the optimized group.
-
-ToolHive also disconnects your AI clients from the original MCP server group and
-reconnects them to the MCP Optimizer group.
-
-:::
-
-</TabItem>
-<TabItem value='cli' label='ToolHive CLI'>
-
-The ToolHive UI is the recommended way to set up MCP Optimizer, but you can also
-do it manually with the ToolHive CLI. If you are on Linux with native
-containers, follow the steps below but see [Linux setup](#linux-setup) for the
-modified `thv run` command.
+If you are on Linux with native containers, follow the steps below but see
+[Linux setup](#linux-setup) for the modified `thv run` command.
 
 **Step 3.1: Run the API server**
 
@@ -291,9 +215,6 @@ flowchart TB
   client x-. 🚫 .-x def
 ```
 
-</TabItem>
-</Tabs>
-
 ## Step 4: Sample prompts
 
 After you configure and run MCP Optimizer, you can use the same prompts you
@@ -323,14 +244,13 @@ The setup depends on which type of container runtime you are using.
 
 If you are using a container runtime that runs containers inside a virtual
 machine (such as Docker Desktop for Linux), the setup is the same as on macOS
-and Windows. No additional configuration is needed - follow the UI or CLI tabs
-in the steps above.
+and Windows. No additional configuration is needed - follow the steps above.
 
 ### Native containers (Docker, Podman, Rancher Desktop, and others)
 
 :::note
 
-Before running the command below, complete the following using the CLI tabs:
+Before running the command below, complete the following:
 
 1. [Step 1](#step-1-install-mcp-servers-in-a-toolhive-group) - install your MCP
    servers
@@ -371,28 +291,20 @@ thv run --group optimizer --network host \
 
 To change which groups MCP Optimizer can optimize after initial setup, remove
 the workload and run the command again with the updated `ALLOWED_GROUPS` value
-(see [Remove a server](../guides-cli/manage-mcp-servers.mdx#remove-a-server)),
-or edit the configuration directly via the ToolHive UI (see
-[Manage MCP servers](../guides-ui/run-mcp-servers.mdx#manage-mcp-servers)).
+(see [Remove a server](../guides-cli/manage-mcp-servers.mdx#remove-a-server)).
 
 See [Step 4: Sample prompts](#step-4-sample-prompts) to verify the setup.
 
 ## What's next?
 
-Now that you've set up MCP Optimizer, consider exploring these next steps:
-
 - Experiment with different MCP servers to see how MCP Optimizer enhances tool
   selection and reduces token usage
-- Monitor the performance and effectiveness of MCP Optimizer in your AI
-  applications
-- Use the [ToolHive Playground](../guides-ui/playground.mdx) to test and refine
-  your prompts with MCP Optimizer
-- Provide feedback on your experience with MCP Optimizer on the
-  [Stacklok Discord community](https://discord.gg/stacklok)
+- Explore the [vMCP optimizer](../guides-vmcp/optimizer.mdx) for team-level
+  optimization in Kubernetes
 
 ## Related information
 
-- [MCP Optimizer UI guide](../guides-ui/mcp-optimizer.mdx)
 - [Optimize tool discovery in vMCP](../guides-vmcp/optimizer.mdx) - Kubernetes
   operator approach
-- [Organize MCP servers into groups](../guides-ui/group-management.mdx)
+- [Optimizing LLM context](../concepts/tool-optimization.mdx) - background on
+  tool filtering and context pollution