Docs/rjv/installation using uvx (#191)

* Added UVX to install information

* moved alternate installation to a separate file. Updated config file to use uvx. Added a section for windows using powershell

* unified instructions for each OS

* Polished the quick install path

* minor updates

* updated installation instructions on readme

* docs: update installation guide - use uvx ros-mcp and simplify troubleshooting

* proofreading and grammar

Author: rjohn-v

README.md

@@ -82,12 +82,9 @@ The MCP server is version-agnostic (ROS1 or ROS2) and works with any MCP-compati
 
 ### Installation  
 
-Follow the [installation guide](docs/installation.md) for step-by-step instructions:  
-1. Clone the repository  
-2. Install `uv` and `rosbridge`  
-3. Install Claude Desktop (or any MCP-enabled client)  
-4. Configure your client to connect to the ROS MCP Server  
-5. Start `rosbridge` on the target robot  
+Follow the [installation guide](docs/installation.md) for step-by-step instructions to install, run, and troubleshoot the ROS-MCP server.  
+
+For developers, we also have instructions for [installation from source](docs/installation-from-source.md)  
 
 ---
 

docs/installation-alternatives.md

@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+# Alternate Installation and Configuration Options
+
+This document covers alternative methods for installing the ROS-MCP server, configuring it with different transport options, and using it with different LLM clients.
+
+---
+
+## Alternative Installation Options
+
+### Option A: Install using pip
+For users who prefer traditional pip installation:
+
+```bash
+pip install ros-mcp
+```
+> **⚠️ Important**: This package requires pip version 23.0 or higher. Check your pip version with `pip --version` and upgrade if needed:
+> **⚠️ Important**: This package requires python version 3.10 or higher. Check your python version with `python3 --version` and upgrade if needed:
+```bash
+python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
+```
+
+### Option B: Install from Source
+For developers or advanced users who need to modify the source code, see [Installation from Source](installation-from-source.md).
+
+### Option C: Install from Source using pip
+For developers who want to install from source but still use pip:
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone https://github.com/robotmcp/ros-mcp-server.git
+cd ros-mcp-server
+
+# Install from source using pip
+pip install .
+```
+
+> **⚠️ Important**: This package requires pip version 23.0 or higher. Check your pip version with `pip --version` and upgrade if needed:
+> **⚠️ Important**: This package requires python version 3.10 or higher. Check your python version with `python3 --version` and upgrade if needed:
+```bash
+python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
+```
+
+---
+
+## Alternate Configuration - HTTP Transport
+
+The default configurations set up the MCP server using the STDIO transport layer, which launches the server as a plugin automatically on launching Claude.
+
+It is also possible to configure the MCP server using the HTTP transport layer, which configures Claude to connect to the MCP server when it is launched as a standalone application.
+
+For HTTP transport, the configuration is the same across all platforms. First start the MCP server manually:
+
+**Linux/macOS/Windows(WSL):**
+```bash
+cd /<ABSOLUTE_PATH>/ros-mcp-server
+# Using command line arguments (recommended)
+ros-mcp --transport streamable-http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 9000
+
+# Or using environment variables (legacy)
+export MCP_TRANSPORT=streamable-http
+export MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1
+export MCP_PORT=9000
+uv run server.py
+```
+
+Then configure Claude Desktop to connect to the HTTP server (same for all platforms):
+
+```json
+{
+  "mcpServers": {
+    "ros-mcp-server-http": {
+      "name": "ROS-MCP Server (http)",
+      "transport": "http",
+      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:9000/mcp"
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## Comparison between default (STDIO) and HTTP Transport
+
+#### STDIO Transport (Default)
+- **Best for**: Local development, single-user setups
+- **Pros**: Simple setup, no network configuration needed
+- **Cons**: MCP server and LLM/MCP client need to be running on the local machine.
+- **Use case**: Running MCP server directly with your LLM client
+
+#### HTTP/Streamable-HTTP Transport
+- **Best for**: Remote access, multiple clients, production deployments
+- **Pros**: Network accessible, multiple clients can connect
+- **Cons**: Requires network configuration, MCP server needs to be run independently.
+- **Use case**: Remote robots, team environments, web-based clients
+
+---
+
+## Alternate Clients
+
+### Cursor IDE
+For detailed Cursor setup instructions, see our [Cursor Tutorial](../examples/7_cursor/README.md).
+
+### ChatGPT
+For detailed ChatGPT setup instructions, see our [ChatGPT Tutorial](../examples/6_chatgpt/README.md).
+
+### Google Gemini
+For detailed Gemini setup instructions, see our [Gemini Tutorial](../examples/2_gemini/README.md).
+
+### Custom MCP Client
+You can also use the MCP server directly in your Python code. 
+<details>
+<summary>Here is a python example of how to integrate it programmatically</summary>
+
+```python
+from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
+from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client
+
+async def main():
+    server_params = StdioServerParameters(
+        command="uv",
+        args=["--directory", "/path/to/ros-mcp-server", "run", "server.py"]
+    )
+    
+    async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
+        async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
+            # Use the MCP server
+            result = await session.call_tool("get_topics", {})
+            print(result)
+```
+
+</details>
+